Immortal Bond
by Taurus Pixie
Summary: Accidentally selling her soul to a demon wasn't the smartest thing Marinette could have done while messing around with a Ouija board alone. Especially when that demon is the devious Chat Noir, demon prince of bad luck and destruction. AU. Abandoned. *Old Version*
1. No Such Thing

**Hi everyone and welcome to my new story! This is my first attempt at a Miraculous AU, so I hope it all turns out okay. This is an idea that has been bouncing around in my head for a while and just wouldn't leave me alone. It didn't help that I'm a sucker for a bit of MariChat. I started jotting down ideas and then it all got a little out of control and I just had to write it. I hope that you enjoy reading it.**

 **Rated T for possible mild language, some violence and the odd darker tone here or there.**

 **I do not own Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir. I am making no money out of this.**

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 **~ Immortal Bond ~**

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 **Chapter 1: No Such Thing**

His world was dark. Completely void of any creation and beauty that she had always brought. A world that was now eternally cold and full of nothing but imbalanced destruction. Souls cried out in confusion and fear. Some begged and screamed while others prayed. They floated above him, being dragged into the underworld for all eternity. This place was now nothing but death and misery. There used to be so much life and happiness here. He too used to be full of life and happiness. Now his life barely had any meaning. Now he was eternally and forever alone in his cursed immortal life. Doomed to now only watch his love through the thin veil that separated their worlds.

It had taken hundreds of years to find her, but he had finally done it. Now all he could do was watch. Watch her live out her mortal life that flew by so quickly. She looked just the same. She acted just the same. It was like a cruel joke. But still, he reached a hand up, longing to touch her, to hold her once again as he had done all those centuries ago. As he reached forward, the veil tickled his fingers, weaving between his fingers like a thin, silk-like fabric, barring him from entry. Defeated, he let his hand drop back down to his side before he dug his fingers into the dirt, watching with tears in his eyes at the way her blue eyes sparkled excitedly and her dark hair shone in the light.

Then something happened. The veil weakened, a tear forming as the humans opened the veil up, inviting his world to collide with theirs. A foolish mistake that humans often lived to regret. He could make it through. All he had to do was step forward into their world. He had been invited, and who was he to turn down an invitation? Especially when it would allow him to get so close to the love of his life. Maybe there _was_ a way for them to finally be together again.

He plucked a rose from the dying bush beside him. The instant he touched it, the rose in his hand began rotting away, his powers of destruction left untamed by her absence. The dead petals fluttered away in the light breeze, left blackened and brittle by a world of never ending death, misery and destruction.

As the veil opened wider, causing bright light to shine through, the black cat demon sat on the clifftop, watching the veil split open before he finally stood up, a small smirk forming on his face. He slowly stepped forward, entering the portal that led to the mortal world, excitement beginning to bubble up inside him as he was carried across.

The time had finally come to reclaim what was his.

.

Marinette curled up on the couch in Alya's living room, clutching a cushion to her chest, pressing her face into it while every so often risking a peak at the television. Screams blared out of the speakers, making Marinette jump and hide herself once again. It didn't seem that Rose was faring much better either. She had nuzzled herself into Juleka's side, burying her face into her girlfriend's shoulder. Meanwhile, Juleka remained completely unphased, smiling at the scary, tense moments. Mylène also looked terrified, hiding behind a cushion much like Marinette was. Alix remained sitting on the floor looking slightly bored, every so often laughing at the reactions of the characters. Alya looked engrossed, jumping slightly at the jump scares before laughing it off and continuing to watch.

Sleepovers weren't complete without a scary movie and Marinette hated how they had to conform to that ideal. She _hated s_ cary movies. She hated anything even remotely scary. Anything to do with ghosts or demons, Marinette was immediately _out._ When she had accepted the invitation to Alya's slumber party, the chance that they might watch a horror movie had honestly not crossed Marinette's mind. She had begged and pleaded for them to all watch something else, but she had been outvoted.

"Oh honestly, if a demon was after me, I'd be hiding out at the nearest church." Alya laughed.

"I think it would be cool." Juleka smiled and Alya gave her a weird look.

The movie ended with one more final bloodcurdling scream before the credits started rolling. Marinette breathed a sigh of relief, finally feeling safe to come out of her hiding place. Alya moved over towards the DVD player and removed the disk.

"That was so lame." Alix groaned. "Those reviewers were lying when they said that was the scariest movie of the year."

Alya laughed, pointing towards a pale looking Marinette, Rose and Mylène. "I think they would beg to differ."

"Uh, but those three are wimps." Alix huffed. "Next we should do something that's actually scary."

"No thank you." Marinette whimpered.

"Well…" Juleka smirked, "I did bring my Ouija board."

"Those things are a rip off." Alya giggled.

"It's all very real and serious." Juleka insisted, glaring at Alya.

"Ghosts and demons aren't real, Juleka." Marinette sighed, more trying to reassure herself.

"Oh yeah?" Alix grinned as she turned towards Marinette. "Wanna put your money where your mouth is?"

"I think it could be fun." Alya interjected, moving towards Juleka who had pulled the box out of her backpack. She opened the old, dusty box and pulled the board out, unfolding it and placing it on the coffee table that was situated in front of the couch, next to some candles that had already been lit to create more of an atmosphere when they had watched the horror movie. She then placed the planchette on top before looking around at everyone and grinning.

"Unless you're all too chicken." Juleka teased.

"I ain't a chicken." Alix growled, immediately placing her finger on the planchette.

Juleka smirked and copied her actions as Alya rolled her eyes and calmly placed her finger on it as well. Then all eyes turned to the three remaining girls who looked scared and unsure. Rose looked like she was ready to pass out as she stared at the board in terror. Mylène hesitated before finally giving in to the peer pressure and placing her finger on the planchette as well.

"Don't worry, Rose, it'll be fine." Juleka reassured her. "Nothing can hurt you, I'll make sure you take the correct steps."

Rose gulped before shakily placing her finger on the planchette. All eyes were then on Marinette who frowned and folded her arms over her chest, turning away from the board.

"I'm not about to play with some silly toy."

"She's scared." Alix laughed.

"Yeah, definitely scared." Alya agreed.

Marinette cursed her friends for being able to read her like a book. Although she didn't necessarily believe in ghosts and demons, it didn't mean that she would be willing to mess with something like this and find out that she was wrong. Marinette enjoyed being able to sleep at night and she wasn't about to sacrifice that, thank you very much. She'd had enough of a scare tonight with that horror movie and wasn't about to sit there and let one of her friends prank her into thinking a ghost or a demon was trying to communicate with them. She knew her friends; they would be low enough to do something like that to her.

"Come on, Marinette," Mylène pleaded, "If we all do it, it won't be as scary."

Marinette sighed. "Fine. But if you guys prank me into thinking a demon wants to possess me, you're dead."

Gulping, Marinette shakily reached her hand out and slowly placed her finger on the planchette. She watched the hands of her friends suspiciously, making sure that none of them were going to try and move the small piece of wood themselves in an attempt to freak her out. _None of this is real, none of this is real, none of this is real,_ Marinette kept repeating that phrase to herself over and over again. She could prove to her friends that she wasn't some easily scared whimp. She could do this. None of it was real anyway, so nothing was going to happen.

Juleka cleared her throat and Marinette, Rose and Mylène shrank back nervously. Marinette had to force herself to keep her finger on the planchette. She had to swallow her fear. She couldn't show to the others that she was currently terrified out of her mind. She would never hear the end of it. Especially off Alix.

"Is there anybody there?" Juleka asked.

Marinette held her breath.

Nothing happened.

"How many spirits are in here with us?" Juleka continued.

Again, nothing happened.

Alix sighed and rested the elbow of her free arm on her knee, looking bored. Alya too relaxed slightly, staring at the board with a fed up expression. Marinette found herself growing slightly more comfortable. She had been right. These things were just stupid toys. Ghosts and demons weren't real. This whole thing was stupid. Juleka frowned at the board in frustration, waiting for any form of response.

"Sometimes spirits can be slow." Juleka explained.

"Things that don't exist typically are." Alix chuckled. "I think we've proved our point that we're all brave. I say we go get some snacks and watch another movie."

"Oh, please, not another horror movie!" Rose begged.

"Hang on guys!" Juleka cried out in alarm as everyone was about to take their finger off the planchette and stand back up. "We have to say goodbye first!"

"Does it matter?" Alya asked.

"Saying goodbye closes the session. If you let go before doing so, you invite a spirit or demon to latch onto you. A Ouija board is like a portal and it needs to be closed." Juleka explained gravely.

Marinette looked down at it nervously, allowing Juleka to guide the planchette, with their fingers still in place, all the way to the section of the board that had the word 'goodbye' written on it. Once that was done, Juleka flipped the planchette over and everyone let go. Marinette scooted away as far back as possible before pulling herself up back onto the sofa. Everyone else waited patiently while Alya got up and headed towards her apartment's kitchen and began opening random cupboards.

"Oh well that's just great." Alya growled. "We're out of snacks."

Everyone groaned.

"There's a small store that's open twenty-four hours down the road. Seen as I'm the only one with money, I'll head down now and get some." Alya said, pulling some jeans over her pyjama shorts and putting her coat on.

"Ooh, I'll come too." Alix said, getting up as well. "You don't know what I like."

"Me too."

"And me."

Alya sighed. "We can't all go. The twins are in bed and I can't leave them alone. My parents will kill me and they won't be back until early in the morning."

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll stay. You guys go."

"Are you sure?" Alya asked.

"She's sure." Alix answered for her, beginning to push everyone towards the door. "Now come on, I'm hungry!"

"Thanks Marinette!" They all called out over their shoulders as they were all pushed out of the door by a hungry Alix. Marinette rolled her eyes but waved to them anyway. As the front door slammed shut and locked behind them, an ominous feeling rolled over Marinette. It felt weird being virtually alone in a friend's apartment. Alya's younger twin sisters were sleeping soundly in bed and the whole apartment was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop.

It was incredibly unnerving, but Marinette managed to swallow back her fear as best as she could. There was no such things as ghosts and demons. The lack of response from the Ouija board had proved that. Not to mention, her friends would be back within a few minutes, so it wasn't like Marinette was going to be alone for long. She contemplated turning the lights on, but no doubt her friends would tease her for doing so. The only light in the room came from the glow of the two candles on the coffee table, filling the room with ominous orange light.

The minutes ticked by and her friends still hadn't returned. Marinette was growing bored and impatient. Her eyes found themselves darting over to the Ouija board that Juleka had left on the table. How could Juleka believe that spirits were real and that the board game actually worked? Maybe she should have a try at the game on her own? To prove to herself once and for all that the things that went bump in the night were not the result of ghosts and demons. Marinette would finally be able to have peace of mind. Maybe then she could watch horror movies without flinching. If she could do this, then she could do anything. These thoughts whirled around in Marinette's head as she reached one hand towards the board.

No.

Marinette pulled her hand back. What if something _did_ happen? She was all alone in the living room with nothing but young girls for company who were asleep in their room. But wait, how could something happen? It had been proven earlier that the game didn't work. Ouija boards were just cheap mass marketed toys, so how could anything happen? Nothing could happen. Right? Marinette groaned slightly in confusion.

"I must be out of my mind." Marinette sighed to herself, moving off the couch to sit next to the Ouija board again.

Gulping, she nervously picked up the planchette and placed it in the middle of the board again, keeping her finger softly in place on top. Her heart rate began to rise, almost pounding out of her chest in fear. Her stomach churned, like someone had reached their hand into her body and was twisting her organs around inside her. Surely, there was no need to get frightened? Because nothing was going to happen.

"I-is there anybody there?" Marinette shakily asked like Juleka had done.

Marinette held her breath before sighing in relief when once again, nothing happened. Feeling relieved, Marinette was about to take her finger off the planchette when all of a sudden, a tingling sensation ran up her finger and all the way up her arm before sending shivers throughout her body. The temperature of the room suddenly felt like it had dropped exponentially, as if she had just walked into a freezer. A feather light sensation touched her finger and Marinette would have screamed if she hadn't been frozen in fear. Still as a statue, and eyes wide with terror, Marinette watched as the planchette beneath her finger was slowly moved towards the most hauntingly terrifying word that could have been uttered to her in that moment.

 _Yes._

A small, scared squeak came out of Marinette's mouth as she struggled to think of anything to say. Was she dreaming? Had she fallen asleep during the movie and she was now having some sort of twisted nightmare? This couldn't be possible. There was no such thing as the paranormal! Unless…unless this was all just some elaborate prank. That would make total sense. Her friends make an excuse to go out, allegedly leaving her here all alone and now they were messing with her to try and scare her. She had to admit, this prank was elaborate, even by their standards, especially Alix's. This probably _was_ all Alix's idea. They were probably hiding somewhere and recording her reaction on their phones right now. Marinette was going to get them for this!

Marinette then smirked, looking around the room before back at the board again. Okay. If that's how they wanted to be, then surely there was no harm in Marinette playing along. She could prove to them that she was some scaredy-cat. If they wanted some entertainment, then Marinette was more than happy to provide them with some. It would just be a shame that they wouldn't get the reaction that they were expecting.

"Interesting," Marinette continued to smirk, "How many of you are in here then?"

The planchette began slowly moving again.

 _1_

"One, huh?" Marinette chuckled. "Are you sure it's not five?"

 _No._

Huh, Marinette had to admit that she was pretty amazed at how her friends had managed to pull this off. It didn't feel like the planchette had any string attached to it. Maybe it was remote control? Marinette wouldn't put it past them to get Max involved in this as well. Perhaps they had gone to him in order to help them control the planchette without them being nearby?

"Are you a ghost?" Marinette laughed.

 _No._

"Some sort of spirit?"

 _No._

Marinette frowned. "A demon?"

The planchette slowly moved in a different direction this time.

 _Yes._

Marinette's heart sank at that answer and she could feel her grip on the planchette loosening and growing slippery under the layer of sweat that had developed on her hands. _Calm down Marinette,_ she reassured herself, _this is just some stupid prank remember? You're not really talking to a demon._ After those thoughts, Marinette took a deep breath, calming herself once again, but her chuckle still came out as sounding slightly nervous.

"A demon, huh? Do you have a name?"

The planchette moved towards the alphabetised letters on the board and Marinette followed it as best as she could, peering down into the glass of the planchette and making a mental note of all the various letters it pointed towards.

 _C-H-A-T-N-O-I-R_

Chatnoir? What kind of a name is that? Honestly, she was shocked that her friends hadn't decided to go with Satan or Lucifer or the devil or something to that effect. How long had it taken for them to come up with a name like Chatnoir? They must have really planned this whole prank out down to last detail. If Marinette didn't know her friends as well as she did, she would have found this whole situation very believable.

"Are you in this room right now?" Marinette asked.

 _Yes._

Marinette's head snapped up to look around the room before she could stop herself. There was nothing surrounding her but a dark room that was only slightly lit up by the glow of the candles next to her. Of course there wasn't any demon in here. Because this was all just some stupid prank. With a frustrated sigh at how far they were taking this, Marinette looked down at the board again.

"Do you know who I am?" Marinette asked.

The planchette moved towards the letters again.

 _L-A-D-Y-B-U-G_

"Huh?" Marinette frowned in confusion. That didn't make any sense. Ladybug? Why was the board referring to an insect? Honestly, she thought her friends would actually spell out her name in order to scare her. The more Marinette thought about it, she guessed going for her name would be too easy. If they made it say something nonsensical, then it would likely scare Marinette even more. It was certainly working, despite how much Marinette was trying to hold back her fear. She had a terrible feeling in her gut and her instincts were screaming at her that something was very wrong here, but Marinette refused to listen to them. If she did, then she would start freaking out and she would never hear the end of it off everyone. She needed to keep her cool. She needed to play along and up her game in order to get one over them.

"Okay then _demon_." Marinette smirked. "Would you like to possess me? That would really scare my friends."

 _No._

Marinette rolled her eyes in annoyance. Her friends were starting to do a terrible job at pranking her now.

"Then what do you want from me?" Marinette asked, curious to see what stupid thing her friends were going to come up with.

 _Y-O-U._

"Me?" Marinette asked in confusion. What exactly did that mean? That could mean anything. "My soul?" That was the only thing Marinette could think, getting the idea from the horror movie her friends had just forced her to watch.

 _Yes._

"Do I get anything in exchange?" Marinette laughed before stopping when the planchette began to move again.

 _M-E._

"So in exchange for my soul, I get my very own demon?" Marinette laughed. If this was for real, it would be pretty hilarious. She could use her own demon to get her revenge on her friends and to get a more devious form of revenge on her school bully Chloé. A demon could help her with all sorts. It was a shame this was just some stupid prank. Then again, she heard in myths and stories that demons could be tricky. What would giving up her soul mean? Would that demon then have total control over her? Would she die? This whole thing wasn't making any sense the more she thought about it.

None of this was real anyway, Marinette thought as she shook her head slightly. She still needed to give her traitor friends a good show.

"Okay then." Marinette smirked. "You're on. I, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, give to you my eternal soul."

Marinette screeched as a sudden breeze blew past her, despite no windows or doors being open. The candles beside her blew out, plunging the room into pitch blackness. Marinette then screamed as a burning sensation suddenly appeared on the back of her hand and without thinking, she let go of the planchette to touch her hand, tears beginning to stream down her face as she clutched her hand in pain. Maybe one of the flames of the candles had touched her hand when it had gotten blown out? Whatever had happened, it hurt _a lot!_

"Marinette?!" Alya yelled from outside the front door.

Marinette heard the keys turning in the lock before the front door burst open, filling the room with light again from the outside hallway. Alya flicked the main lights on, leaving Marinette feeling completely embarrassed at having just burnt herself and standing in the middle of the room in tears because of it. She still clutched at her hand, the burning sensation still there, but much duller now.

"Very funny guys. I must admit, that was pretty good." Marinette chuckled, quickly wiping away her tears.

"Why did you scream?" Alix laughed.

"We thought an intruder had got in!" Rose gasped worriedly.

"I'm fine, guys, I think I burnt my hand on the candle." Marinette glared over at the candles that had been situated next to her.

"And wait…what did we do that was so funny?" Mylène asked, confused.

"Nice try, but you can't fool me." Marinette glared at them, folding her arms across her chest.

"Girl, what are you talking about?" Alya laughed.

"You guys moving the planchette." Marinette explained. "I'm impressed; I have no idea how you pulled it off."

"Wait, what?" Alya frowned.

Juleka gasped. "You messed with the Ouija board while we were gone and it moved?!"

Marinette rolled her eyes. "You can cut the act guys, I'm not falling for it."

Juleka ran over towards the board before freezing when she saw that the planchette had not been flipped over in the goodbye position. She looked back towards Marinette with fear in her eyes which caused Marinette to internally freak out slightly before she reminded herself that it was no big deal; it had all just been a prank after all.

"Did you say goodbye?" Juleka demanded, running over to grab Marinette by her upper arms.

"Whoa, Juleka, chill out." Alix laughed.

"Umm…no?" Marinette squeaked.

Juleka abruptly released Marinette as if she was contaminated. "You've let ghosts and demons into our world. They'll attach themselves onto you."

"Relax Juleka, it's just a cheap board game." Alya sighed as she placed the shopping bags on the kitchen counter before she began rifling through them. Alix soon joined her, picking out her own snacks and leaving Alya to handle the rest of it which made her roll her eyes.

"No it's not!" Juleka snapped. "Marinette has placed herself in great danger!"

"No thanks to you guys." Marinette glowered at all of them. "Why do you have to play such cruel practical jokes on me like that? Had a good laugh at my expense have you?"

"Marinette…we didn't do anything." Alya insisted looking slightly worried.

"I think maybe that horror movie got to her a little too much." Alix laughed and the rest of them chuckled as well apart from Juleka who looked at Marinette worriedly.

Marinette huffed and folded her arms across her chest again, wincing slightly as the fabric of her pyjama top caused the burn on the back of hand to sting even more than it already was. Everyone seemed to forget what had happened within a few seconds as they were busy tucking into their snacks and arguing over which movie to watch next. Marinette sat down on the couch again, watching them with a frown on her face. Where was the bragging? Why weren't they immediately whipping out their phones to show her the footage they had caught of the incident, laughing at Marinette's reactions?

Unless…

No.

That would be impossible.

There was no way the whole thing had been real. There was no way Marinette had communicated with a real demon and sold her soul to it. It was all some stupid prank and her friends were likely leaving her in the dark just to make her even more scared and doubt her own sanity. Maybe she _was_ crazy. No. She was perfectly sane. Ghosts and demons didn't exist. The only logical explanation was that this had all just been an elaborate prank. Some stupid trick to try and scare her. It would be the type of thing for them to do.

The night continued on relatively normally, but somehow, everything suddenly felt very abnormal at the same time. Her friends didn't seem too phased by what had happened, finally settling on a romantic comedy for them all to watch. Marinette barely touched her popcorn, scratching the back of her hand as it continued to weirdly burn. Marinette should have probably ran some cold water over it. Now she was likely going to have a nasty burn and blister on the back of her hand in the morning. Juleka kept staring at her weirdly which made Marinette extremely uncomfortable.

Not to mention, Marinette kept getting a petrifying and chilling feeling, that in the pitch black corners of the room, someone…or _something_ …was watching her.

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 **Oopsie daisy. First chapter done and I hope that it was enjoyable. Thank you so much for reading it and feel free to let me know your thoughts and opinions in a review.**


	2. Sinister Happenings

**Welcome back! Thank you so much for your amazing responses to the first chapter! Reviews are always much appreciated and I can't thank you guys enough for taking the time to leave them. Also, thank you to everyone who has followed this story or added it to their favourites. I always really appreciate your support.**

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 **Chapter 2: Sinister Happenings**

Marinette struggled to sleep that night, though it came as no surprise. Everyone else had finally passed out at around four in the morning, leaving Marinette to toss and turn for hours on her own. The candles had soon burnt out, leaving the room completely pitch black. Anything could be in that room with them right now. It could be inches from her face and Marinette would never know. She laid there with her blue eyes wide and unblinking and her head half buried in her sleeping bag. The darkness of Alya's living room played tricks with her eyes. Every so often, Marinette was sure that she saw a shadow move.

Afterwards, Marinette would always shake her head and remind herself that ghosts weren't real. The Ouija board incident had just been a prank and her friends were still carrying out the charade in order to try and scare her even more. Marinette hadn't spoken to a real demon. There was nothing watching her in the darkness right now. Though it sure did feel like it.

The dull burn on her hand continued, making Marinette keep her hand balled into a tight fist in order to try and get rid of the pain. It wasn't an unbearable pain, but just enough to make her extremely uncomfortable. It made Marinette wonder how such a small candle, such a small flame, could cause a burn that hurt as much as this one did. Marinette had burnt herself on candles before, but it had never resulted in anything that felt this bad. At most, her skin would blister and feel hot slightly for about an hour afterwards. This was something else. It was like the flame was still pressed against her skin, eternally burning the back of her hand.

"Marinette?" A voice suddenly hissed over at her, making her jump. "Are you awake?"

It sounded like Juleka.

"Yeah." Marinette whispered back.

"Did the planchette really move while we were gone?" Juleka asked.

"I'm not falling for it Juleka." Marinette frowned, still getting the unbearable sensation that something else was in the room. It was like the air in the room had felt incredibly heavy since Marinette had done that Ouija board session. Like something was sapping the energy out of everything. Marinette didn't think she had ever felt so paranoid as she did now. Every little noise made her jump. Despite knowing it was a prank, her friends had clearly still managed to get her really well, much to Marinette's dismay. She hadn't faced her fears. If anything, she had ended up feeling more afraid than ever. Something really didn't feel right.

"What do you mean not falling for it?" Juleka sounded confused.

Marinette rolled her eyes, refusing to turn around and look at Juleka who was sleeping on the inflatable mattress next to her. Marinette just wanted it to be morning already. Then she could go home and try and forget that this whole thing ever happened. She would never watch any horror movies or associate with anything even remotely scary again. She'd had enough for one lifetime.

"I know it was you guys that moved the planchette." Marinette murmured, getting angry, but also trying her best not to raise her voice too much and wake everybody else up.

"How could it have been us?" Juleka asked, her voice raising slightly too.

"I don't know. You tell me. It would be just the sort of thing you guys would do to me."

"Marinette, I can promise you that we had nothing to do with it." Juleka vowed. "I know I definitely didn't do anything and I was with the others the whole time we went down to the store."

Marinette sighed, no buying it. "Whatever."

There were a few moments of heavy silence. Marinette had honestly thought that Juleka had gone back to sleep until she began to whisper again.

"You can feel it too can't you?" Juleka sat up in bed.

"Feel what?"

"There's something in this room. Something that's not human. Something that's not of this world."

Marinette groaned. "Will you stop trying to scare me? I've had enough. The joke has far outstayed its welcome."

"Believe what you want, Marinette." Juleka hissed and Marinette heard her friend get up and quietly make her way back towards the coffee table where the board game remained. "Maybe I can talk to it and find out what it wants."

"You do that." Marinette mumbled, now starting to finally feel sleepy. She felt a little bit safer now that somebody else was awake, though why she was so scared in the first place, she wasn't sure. What happened had all been some stupid prank. The paranormal wasn't real. There was nothing in this room that could get to her. The weird sensations and vibes she was getting was likely just her feeling paranoid after the horror movie they had watched hours earlier.

"It's a shame it's not three o'clock in the morning. That's when the barriers between our world and the spirit world are at their weakest." Juleka murmured away as she set the game up.

Marinette huffed and sat up in bed, knowing that she wasn't going to get much sleep now that Juleka was determined to try and contact _the other side_ again. Marinette watched Juleka with bored, sleepy eyes. Juleka was definitely taking this stupid game to a whole new extreme now. If she thought she was helping in make Marinette believe what had happened even more, then unfortunately she was only doing the exact opposite. Marinette found herself growing less scared and more annoyed instead. This joke had gone way too far.

"Hello? Is there anybody there?" Juleka asked.

Marinette rolled her eyes when nothing happened.

Juleka frowned at the board. "Why did you talk to my friend? Why won't you speak with me? I know you're in this room, I can feel your presence. Marinette forgot to close the portal, but I demand that you leave. Your presence is not wanted in this room or this world."

"Oh yeah, make the spirits mad, that's a great idea." Marinette began to feel nervous again. She could barely make out Juleka's silhouette in the darkness. The small amount of moonlight that leaked in through the curtains cast dark shadows against the back wall.

"I can feel it, Marinette. It has ill intentions." Juleka growled as she looked around the room.

"Stop it, this isn't funny." Marinette whimpered, curling up into a ball.

What happened next happened so fast that Marinette wasn't sure if she had even witnessed things correctly. Maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her because of how dark it was, but Marinette could have sworn that she saw a shadowy mass appear on the wall behind Juleka's shadow. Marinette looked behind Juleka, but there was nothing there. Marinette's yelp of alarm turned into a loud scream as the Ouija board was suddenly knocked from the table by an unseen force. Had Juleka done that? It didn't look like it, but what else could it be? Regardless, it still had Marinette screaming loudly. Juleka only slightly flinched back though, glaring at the board that had been mysteriously knocked to the floor.

"Seriously Juleka, stop this!" Marinette pleaded. "The joke isn't funny anymore!"

Marinette's screaming and pleading had caused everyone else in the room to stir awake. Alya was the first to rise, looking around the room in alarm, followed by Rose who immediately leapt out of bed and clung onto Juleka for dear life. Mylène rose out of bed looking confused while Alix looked grumpy, glaring at Marinette for having woken them all up.

"Marinette?!" Alya shrieked, slightly worried, but also slightly angry.

"I'm sorry, it's just Juleka was messing around with the Ouija board again and –" Marinette's panicked explanation was cut off by Alya glaring at Juleka before yelling at her.

"Juleka, if you don't put that stupid game away, I'm gonna shove it right up your –"

"Guys!" Mylène cried out. "Cut it out!"

"Alya, please don't insult Juleka." Rose scolded as politely as she could.

"There's something in this room. Something that Marinette let into our world." Juleka tried to explain, but Alix had begun laughing before she could even finish.

"What? Where?!" Rose squealed, clinging onto Juleka even tighter. Juleka wrapped a protective arm around her and glared all around the room while everyone else stood there looking either annoyed or confused.

Marinette remained tense as she looked around the room as well. Was Juleka right? Had she let something through? Something powerful enough to knock the Ouija board off the table like that? No! _These things aren't real, remember, Marinette?_ Juleka had probably knocked it off herself. If there really was something in this room, why wasn't anything else happening? Why hadn't the Ouija board worked any other time? Because none of this was real, that's why. At those thoughts, Marinette forced herself to try and relax. The birds had begun singing outside and the faint light of the rising sun was beginning to be visible through the slight gaps in the curtains. It would soon be daylight. Things always seemed less sinister and scary during the day.

As her friends continued to argue and fight among themselves, Marinette sighed, ready to lie back down in bed. That was until she felt something brush the back of her neck. More on edge that she thought, Marinette screamed again, whipping her head around and gripping the back of her neck with one hand. There was nothing there. But yet, her neck still felt cold. As if ice had been pressed against it.

"Marinette, cut that out!" Alya yelled. "Otherwise the neighbours will call the police on us."

"But something touched the back of my neck!" Marinette yelped, letting her hand relax slightly, but still kept it attached to her neck.

Alix laughed. "Wow, that movie affected you more than I could have ever hoped."

Marinette narrowed her eyes. "So it was you last night!"

Alix looked like she was about to question what Marinette was talking about, humour still sparkling in her blues eyes, until Juleka's gasp interrupted her. All eyes turned to Juleka, confused over her sudden outburst. Meanwhile, Juleka's eyes were locked on the back of Marinette's hand which she was still using to grip her neck slightly, trying to warm it up after that strange cold touch. Marinette froze as everyone looked at her, feeling incredibly awkward as they did so. Juleka looked terrified while everyone else just looked puzzled as they were trying to figure out what had Juleka so freaked out all of a sudden.

"Mari…" Juleka's intense fear came out as nothing more than a whisper, "What have you done?"

"What do you mean?" Marinette frowned. Was this all still part of the joke?

"Your hand! The mark on the back of your hand! That's a demon's mark!" Juleka exclaimed.

Marinette bit her lip and brought her hand away from her neck so that she could look at the back of it. Instead of seeing a normal looking burn or blister like she had been expecting, the burn seemed to be forming into the shape of a circle. The skin was red and slightly raised where the mark was appearing. A pattern seemed to be forming in the middle, though Marinette couldn't quite make it out. The skin still felt warm and Marinette gasped, poking at the unusual mark, wincing at the stinging sensation it created as she did so.

"You've made a deal with a demon!" Juleka cried out. "Marinette how could you be so stupid?!"

"Alright, that's enough everyone!" Alya yelled and everyone immediately went quiet. "Enough of this demon and ghost stuff, it's clear we're all still on edge after the movie."

"Speak for yourself." Alix mumbled, folding her arms across her chest and blowing a stray strand of pink hair out of her face.

"Juleka, enough of this whole demon stuff, it's going too far now." Alya scolded. "It's a sleepover; we're supposed to be having fun, so leave poor Marinette alone. I say we all just calm down and enjoy the rest of the morning together. Seen as we're all up now, we might as well have some breakfast."

Everyone agreed and made their way towards the kitchen. Marinette sat at the far end of the breakfast bar, slightly further away from everybody else. With her head resting in her hand, she pushed the flakes of cereal around in the chocolate milk, having completely lost her appetite. This whole joke was now starting to feel incredibly mean spirited. Marinette could take a joke, but she couldn't help but feel like this one had gone way too far. No matter how many times Marinette tried to reassure herself, she still felt incredibly on edge, as if something was about to jump out at her any second. Adrenaline pumped through her body as her stomach churned inside of her, like she was on a roller coaster, locked permanently in a fast, downhill descent.

The rest of her friends chatted away, but Marinette couldn't help but feel slightly salty and kept to herself, still staring into her cereal bowl. The mark on the back of her right hand was plainly visible as she held the spoon in her hand, though Marinette tried her best to ignore it. But it was impossible. It no longer stung, but instead tingled lightly. It covered almost the whole of the back of her hand and Marinette was surprised that such a small candle could cause so much damage. Despite knowing it was most likely the candle, Juleka's words continued to echo around in her mind, as if the inside of her skull was nothing but a hollow cave. The words bounced around, never ceasing. _A demon's mark._

"Mari, are you alright?" The sudden sound of Alya's voice and the feel of a warm hand on her shoulder made Marinette jump. She gasped and looked back to see Alya standing beside her, gazing down at her, her hazel eyes full of nothing but concern for her best friend. Marinette looked around dazed and confused. Everyone else had moved back into the living room and were busy packing their things. Alya's younger twin sisters had emerged from their room and were sat on the couch, eating breakfast while watching cartoons.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine." Marinette lied, picking up her cereal bowl before heading over to the sink to help Alya who had already started doing the dishes. She poured the remaining contents down the drain and began washing her bowl, her eyes constantly being drawn to the mark on the back of her hand. Alya walked back over and began washing some dishes as well, still glancing at Marinette every once in a while.

"I'm sorry about the whole movie thing. I didn't realise you got affected by scary movies that badly. I should have thought –" Alya began apologising.

"It's fine." Marinette replied flatly, wincing every now and then as the water stung the mark on the back of her hand.

"And don't listen to Juleka. She's probably only trying to wind you up." Alya laughed.

"Well I don't appreciate it when it goes this far." Marinette grumbled.

"I know, I'm sorry." Alya sighed before her eyes caught site of the mark on Marinette's hand. "Wow, that really is some burn."

"Tell me about it."

"Does it still hurt?" Alya gently grabbed hold of Marinette's hand to look at it.

"A little." Marinette admitted. "It looks so weird."

"Yeah, well, don't listen to what Juleka said. Burns can look weird sometimes. The weird pattern is probably just the result of hot candle wax spilling onto you or something." Alya explained, letting go of Marinette's hand.

Marinette examined it again. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right." She smiled.

"So nothing to worry about." Alya chuckled. "Just try to chillax, girl. There's no such thing as demons. There's nothing paranormal that can harm you."

"Thanks, Alya." Marinette beamed and pulled her friend into a grateful hug.

However, Alix's laughter interrupted them.

"You still freaking out, Marinette?" She giggled. "I don't think I've ever met anyone who was as much of a wuss as you are – hey, whoa!" Alix ducked just in time as a glass cup shot at her seemingly out of nowhere. Everyone went silent as the glass smashed on the floor next to Alix.

"Alix!" Alya growled.

"It wasn't me!" Alix protested before looking around at everyone angrily. "Alright, who thought it would be funny to pull a stunt that dangerous?! You could've knocked me out!" Her eyes landed on Juleka. "It was you wasn't it? To make us think all your demon stuff is real!"

Juleka stood up angrily. "I'm not desperate enough that I would throw a glass and potentially hurt one of my friends!"

Alya turned back to Marinette and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Remind me not to have a huge sleepover like this again."

Alix and Juleka stopped shouting at each other soon enough when Alya had intervened to shut them up. Afterwards, they just settled for shooting glares at each other as they packed their things away. The apartment was in chaos as everyone fought over the bathroom to get ready, however, much like at breakfast, Marinette kept to herself. She felt strange. Was she coming down with something? It didn't quite feel like that, so why was she feeling so weird? Alya's words had helped calm her down slightly so she was no longer feeling as on edge and paranoid as she was. It felt like a million eyes were all around the room, watching her every single move. Okay, so maybe she _was_ still feeling slightly paranoid.

Everything felt surreal. Like she was living in some sort of dream. Marinette barely registered that she was saying goodbye to everyone and thanking Alya for inviting her. Soon enough, Marinette was on a bus home, staring out of the window, wondering if last night had really happened. The burn on her hand was proof that it had. Sighing, she ran her hands down her face, glad to be away from her friends for the moment so that they wouldn't play anymore stupid tricks on her. Being surrounded by daylight made Marinette feel much better. There were no scary dark shadows. No eerie silence. Just the intense brightness and typical loud noise of the city of Paris.

Marinette was glad to have a whole Sunday afternoon to herself ahead of her. Maybe that would finally help her fully calm down. Her parents would only be downstairs and she could work on some new designs to help take her mind off things. After getting off the bus, Marinette walked the rest of the way to her family's bakery and trudged her way upstairs, her exhaustion from having gotten no sleep finally catching up with her.

Once she reached her bedroom, Marinette all but collapsed into her desk chair and opened her sketchbook, only to stare at the empty page in front of her. Her mind was as blank as the paper. When her mind could manage to think of a coherent thought, it usually only involved what had happened the previous night. The design of the board, the way the letters were arranged and how a moon was drawn on the corner of the board. Shaking her head to clear those thoughts away, Marinette gasped as she realised that she had doodled the design of the Ouija board.

Growling in annoyance, Marinette tore the page out of her book and angrily scrunched it up. She was supposed to be forgetting about what happened and be moving on, not making herself feel even worse by doing drawings of it. It was just some stupid prank and no doubt everyone found it hilarious that she had been this effected by what they had done. Still feeling angry and frustrated, Marinette threw the scrunched up paper into the trash before sulking at her desk again.

However, the sound of something falling over behind her instantly had her freeze in place. What was that? Did Marinette dare look? What was with all this weird stuff that had been happening since she had played that stupid game? It had to be all in her head. Alya was right. Demons and ghosts weren't real. Marinette was just paranoid and that was what was making her intensely and overly aware of everything around her. She was definitely not watching any horror movies again or letting her friends pressure her into doing anything even remotely scary again. Just look at the state it had left her in!

Slowly, Marinette turned around, forcing herself to look and bracing herself for the sight of some demonic monster or transparent figure standing in the corner of her room. There was nothing there. Nothing was different apart from the fact the one of her hand made Chinese lanterns had fallen into the floor. Nothing to worry about, Marinette thought to herself as her eye twitched. It was something that could have quite easily fallen off on its own.

Turning back around, Marinette began shivering as the temperature of her room felt like it had suddenly dropped. She pulled her black jacket tighter around herself and rolled the sleeves back down, trying to cover as much of her exposed flesh as she could. So her parents had turned the air conditioning on? That was pretty normal, it was a warm day out today. Nothing weird going on at all. _Calm down, Marinette, you're starting to sound insane,_ she mentally scolded herself before forcing herself to concentrate on designing, chewing on her pencil as she did so.

Just as Marinette was calming down, the sound of her floorboards creaking behind her made her jump again. This time, Marinette darted out of her seat and stood in the middle of her room, looking around wildly. There was nothing here. Buildings creaked all the time. Buildings in Paris was often incredibly old so it was perfectly normal for them to do so. Yeah. That was it. Marinette knew she really needed to get a hold of herself. This is why she had been so against watching that damn horror movie and playing that stupid game in the first place. Because she knew she would get like this - easily terrified by the slightest noise.

Marinette sat back down again and picked up her pencil, ready to finally properly draw some designs when she yelped at the sight of the back of her hand. The part of her skin that had been previously red and swollen was now turning black right before her eyes. It perfectly followed the outside circle and the shape of a star was now becoming visible in the centre of the circle, only this star was upside down with the two points directed upwards rather than down. There seemed to be another design appearing in the centre of the star, but Marinette couldn't quite tell what it was.

Panicking, Marinette ran out of her room and down the stairs, ignoring the concerned and confused looks of her parents before dashing into the bathroom and closing the door behind her. _Oh god! Was her skin rotting off?!_ Struggling to keep her panicked breathing under control, Marinette began running cold water into the sink and put her hand under the water. She rubbed the back of her hand vigorously, even resulting to using her nails to see if she could scrape off whatever that black stuff was. All that seemed to achieve was making the back of hand sting and made the skin around the strange symbol turn red.

Shakily reaching a hand up to the soap dispenser, Marinette squeezed as much liquid soap onto the back of her hand as possible, hoping that it might help. She scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed until her hand was completely covered in foam. _This had to work, this had to work!_ This sure wasn't seeming like an ordinary burn now and Marinette was too scared to look at the results as she rinsed her hand under the running water. She forced herself to peak though and her panic only grew when she saw that the black mark was still there.

Her knees turned to jelly and she nearly collapsed. She couldn't breathe properly. She couldn't think properly. What was going on? What did she do? Should she tell her parents? Should she go to a hospital? Why was it turning black? Why was there clearly a design instead of a normal burn? It looked like someone had given her a tattoo in her sleep without her realising. She couldn't tell her parents. They would only freak out and think that she got some Satanic looking tattoo. And what would a doctor say? They would probably think she was crazy. It looked like Marinette was going to have to find a way to get rid of this on her own.

Grabbing a wash cloth, Marinette kept scrubbing at the back of her hand, rubbing the mark as vigorously and as hard as she could, ignoring the intense pain and the vast amount of water she had splashed onto the tiled bathroom floor while doing so. Was this her friends' doing? Had they given her a fake tattoo in her sleep that was resistant to water? But…then surely she would have woken up with the black mark on her skin? When she woke up, it was just red with little to no discernible features. Now it looked like a professionally made tattoo. Why? How?

 _A demon's mark._

No! It couldn't be something like that. That would be impossible. Demons didn't exist. _Come on, Marinette,_ she urged herself on, _scrub harder!_ She needed to get rid of it as soon as possible. The quicker it disappeared, the sooner she would be able to relax and stop panicking. Because right now, Marinette felt like she was about to pass out from fear.

Realising she was probably white as a sheet and looking like a mess right now, Marinette looked up to check in the mirror and froze as she caught sight of a tall, dark figure standing behind her in her reflection. Whatever it was, it didn't move, but Marinette could feel its invisible eyes watching her. It had no discernible features and Marinette could only tell that it was taller than her and that it was watching her intensely.

Marinette screamed, losing her balance as she pushed herself away from the sink slightly. In the process of trying to right herself, Marinette slipped on the water drenched tiles and hit the ground with a loud thud. Pain shot up her back, but luckily, Marinette was able to keep her head from hitting the ground. She blinked and instantly looked to where the figure should have been standing. Nothing. There was nothing there. But…but Marinette could have sworn…

"Marinette?!" Sabine yelled from behind the bathroom door before bursting in. "Are you alright? Oh my goodness, what happened?!"

Marinette hid her marked hand behind her back before smiling awkwardly at her mother.

"I…I…uhhh…fell." Marinette tried to pull herself up while keeping her hand hidden. Her mother helped her up off the floor and Marinette winced as her back throbbed. That was going to leave a nasty bruise.

Sabine shut off the water and looked at Marinette in confusion.

"What on earth are you doing?" Sabine demanded.

Marinette tried her best to quickly think up a believable enough lie. "Oh – umm – I spilled paint all over myself and I was quickly trying to clean it up."

Sabine rolled her eyes. "Oh honestly, Marinette, I have no idea where you get your clumsiness from."

Marinette let out a fake laugh. "Me neither." Before talking much too fast. "Anyway I best get back upstairs before I lose my idea, I'll probably skip out on dinner as I'm really tired and will probably go to bed early, I do have school tomorrow after all, okay, bye!"

Marinette quickly dashed out of the bathroom and ran back upstairs into her room, accidentally slamming the door behind her in the process. She looked back down at her hand, breathing heavily in panic, her throat closing up as she saw that the black mark was still there. The skin around it was red and sore, but the mark was completely intact. How was this possible? What was this? It had to be her friends. They'd put something on her skin. She never realised that her friends were so good at art though. The design was neat and perfect.

That had to be it. It had to have been her friends. There was no other explanation. None at all! Taking a deep breath, Marinette tried to force herself to calm back down. She was letting everything get to her way too much. This was all one big joke. It wasn't a demon mark. Just another part of her friends' prank. Yeah, that was it.

Feeling slightly more reassured, Marinette climbed up to her bed before collapsing and staring at the mark on her hand. It was pretty well done and Marinette found herself impressed with the design. It was just annoying because thanks to her friends, she had to keep this hidden from her parents because otherwise she would be dead in a world known as permanently grounded.

Sighing in frustration, Marinette let her poor, sore hand drop down onto her mattress. She just lay there staring at the ceiling, feeling completely and utterly exhausted after a night of no sleep and plenty of adrenaline rushes. Her body now felt like it had been run over by a truck, then a bus, then another truck, followed by a tank. Her eyes were heavy and her heart still pounded away in her chest out of fear. The late afternoon sun felt warm on her face, helping her to relax. She would just have to swallow her pride and ask her friends how to get rid of that paint on the back of her hand.

Marinette's eyes slowly fluttered closed and she focused on taking slow and calming breaths to try and soothe herself. By reacting like she had been, she had been giving her friends exactly what they wanted. In and out, Marinette continued to slowly breathe, her chest rising and falling delicately, allowing her to ignore her burning hand. Instead, Marinette focused on how warm the sun felt against her face. It's comforting heat allowing her to finally fully relax.

Soon, Marinette felt like her whole body was enveloped in heat, like a warm blanket had been placed over her in the middle of a cold, snowy night. Warmer and warmer and warmer still. The heat continued to engulf Marinette. Hotter and hotter it grew and red colours danced behind Marinette's eyelids. Soon, Marinette felt like her skin was burning, as if flames were licking her skin with their impossibly piercing sharp tongues.

Gasping and crying out in pain, Marinette's eyes shot open. Everything around her was dark apart from the glow of a wall of fire that surrounded her. It provided just enough light for Marinette to realise she was in the middle of an open field. The grass was dark below her, though Marinette realised she appeared to be standing on some sort of man-made wooden hill. It looked like there was an outline of a church in the distance that was faintly illuminated by the full moon. How did Marinette get here? Where even was _here_? But yet…it all felt weirdly familiar.

Heat still surrounded her and Marinette whimpered in pain slightly as it was too much. She looked around frantically and was about to run forward and off the wooden hill when she was halted in her tacks. She couldn't move. It was like she was pinned against something. Her arms were tied behind her back, the thick rope that kept her bound to what felt like a pole behind her dug into stomach, making Marinette feel slightly sick. Smoke filled her lungs, causing her to cough uncontrollably.

Looking down the hill, Marinette finally caught sight of a figure walking up towards her carrying a torch in their hand. The person climbed closer before stopping in front of a bound Marinette. Words become caught in her throat as her blue eyes remained wide with fear. For a reason Marinette couldn't explain, she knew this was the end. She knew she was about to die. It was like a second brain had invaded her skull and Marinette was getting a glimpse of someone else's thoughts that weren't her own. She shook with fear and all she could manage was a whimper.

The man in front of her was not familiar to her. He was old and short, with messy white hair and a white beard. He was slightly dirty and wearing what looked like medieval Catholic priest attire. He brought the torch closer to her and Marinette automatically flinched away from the flames which caused the man to laugh. Marinette then watched in horror as a purple butterfly appeared in front of his face. It was _him. He had done this to her! It had all been a trap!_

"CHAT!" That word, that scream left Marinette's mouth without any of her input. It was her voice, her mouth, but those words were not her own. It was if someone else was speaking through her and Marinette had no control over it. Yet, it still all felt so familiar. The fear she was feeling was the most vivid feeling while everything else felt so surreal.

She would never see her kitty again. This was it. This was the end. He had made sure there would be no loose ends. How long had he been planning this? Planning her demise? How could he do such a thing? Marinette supposed it was no importance to her now. She would never know. This was her end.

The priest merely laughed at her screams, the purple butterfly symbol still in front of his eyes as he leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"In infernis arderet" The priest whispered, sending shivers down Marinette's spine, despite the intense heat that surrounded her. "Sordidum pythonissam."

Marinette then screamed as the priest dropped the torch on the wood beneath her. He quickly jumped down and watched with a sadistic smile as the hellish flames engulfed Marinette, creating unimaginable pain, incinerating her in its unforgiving inferno before everything went black.

Marinette's eyes shot open as she gasped, the terrifying and vivid nightmare fading away into her memories. It appeared that Marinette had slept the afternoon away as her room was now almost pitch black, with only the faint glow of the moon and streetlights shining in through her windows. Marinette continued to stare up at the ceiling, a dark and ominous feeling overpowering her and preventing her eyes from looking anywhere else.

There was a pressure across her stomach, as if someone was sitting on top of her, pinning her down to the bed. Was this sleep paralysis? Marinette wiggled her fingers and toes to make sure, but she moved them easily. Yet that almost crushing weight was still there, rendering her unable to sit up. Remaining frozen in a state of intense fear that Marinette didn't think was possible to ever reach, she couldn't even manage to a shiver as it felt like someone was running a hand down the side of her body, tracing the outline of her curved waist.

Finally, Marinette forced her eyes to move, her gasp becoming caught in her throat at the sight of what currently had her pinned to the bed. A dark mass hovered over her, straddling her stomach. One feature was plain to see in the darkness and was completely unmistakable; two glowing, green, cat-like eyes stared back at her intensely.

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 **Dun dun duuun. What is it with me and setting Marinette on fire? I have no idea...anyway, I hope that you guys enjoyed the second instalment. As always feel free to let me know your thoughts and feelings a review. I read every single one of them. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. I really appreciate your support. See you soon.**


	3. Demonic Presence

**Hi again everyone! I can't get over how amazing the response has been from you guys! I really appreciate you all taking the time to let me know your thoughts and opinions. Also, this story now has 100 followers which is awesome! Your support has been brilliant and it really helps me to keep writing.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Demonic Presence**

She couldn't think. She couldn't move. She couldn't speak. All Marinette could do was stare back at the glowing, green eyes in the darkness, not even daring to blink. The eyes stared back before appearing to look her up and down, making Marinette feel incredibly vulnerable under their gaze. The weight on top of her body continued to pin her to the bed and for a sleep paralysis hallucination, it sure was lasting a long time. Her heart was almost pounding out of her ribcage. The palms of her hands became clammy and her chest heaved up and down with her panicked breathing.

The room felt cold, unbelievably cold. Marinette shuddered, both from the cold and intense stare of the green eyes that continued to hover above her. Maybe this wasn't sleep paralysis? Maybe this was some sort of weird dream? Finally, Marinette dared to let herself blink, hoping that once she opened her eyes again, those strange, terrifying, hypnotic eyes would be gone. For the very brief moment her eyes were closed, it felt like an eternity had passed. Marinette's eyes fluttered open once again and her heart lurched in her chest once she saw that the green eyes were still there.

Marinette couldn't contain it anymore. A terrified scream rose up through her chest and had just managed to escape her mouth when what felt like a hand wearing a leather glove clamped down on her mouth, blocking any sound from escaping. She thrashed around, desperately trying to get whoever it was off of her. Was it some sort of intruder wearing contact lenses?! And her parents were fast asleep downstairs with no idea that their daughter was in huge danger right now. This was it. Marinette knew that she was about to die. The intruder would probably kill her and then take everything of value, making sure that she could never be a witness against him. She'd heard about stuff like this all the time on the news.

"Sssssh." A gentle voice sounded like it was trying to soothe her.

Marinette kept thrashing around, but the intruder was too strong. He kept her pinned to the bed with ease and Marinette might as well have been wrestling against a huge piece of titanium for all the difference she was making. This only made her panic even more and she tried to scream against his hand, only for it to press against her mouth tighter, further blocking any loud noises from escaping. Instead, her scream came out incredibly quiet and muffled.

This was it. She was about to die at the hands of someone who seemed to take the term 'cat burglar' way too literally.

"It's only me." The man's voice purred into her ear.

Marinette stopped trying to scream, now freezing in fear and confusion. _Only me?_ Who? There was nothing about this man's voice that she recognised. Had he broke into the wrong house? Was he an escaped mental patient? What would he do to her if he found out that he had gotten the wrong girl? Marinette cringed at the thought.

Her eyes began to adjust slightly to the darkness and she could finally make out the outline of the guy that currently had her pinned down. A…a boy. He didn't look much older than her. Only sixteen years old at the least. He was staring down at her with a huge smile on his face, his perfect, white teeth glowing in the moonlight as he beamed down at her. His hair was slightly wild and untidy and it looked like it might have been a shade of golden blonde, though it was still slightly too dark for Marinette to tell. She must admit that he had a very handsome face and looked like he was wearing a black mask around his green, cat-like eyes. He looked human, but…not human at the same time. The golden bell around his neck shone brightly in the small amount of moonlight that was leaking through her curtains. The black cat ears on top of his head seemed to twitch slightly at the same time her already rapid heartbeat began to accelerate even more.

With his other hand, he reached down to stroke her face and Marinette shuddered as what felt like claws brushed against her skin as he did so. He then brushed a stray strand of dark hair out of her face and smiled at her like a starving, ravenous man seeing food for the first time in weeks.

"Let me look at you." He purred, his eyes consuming every inch of her face and body. "You haven't change at all."

He leaned down and Marinette cringed and squeaked in fear as she felt him take a deep inhale next to her skin, breathing in her scent. Her heart nearly leapt out of her chest when she felt his lips delicately brush her cheek before trailing kisses down her cheek and then down her neck, causing her to shiver with fear and feel slightly sick. This was it. He was going to assault her and then murder her.

After one last kiss to her collarbone, the intruder finally pulled back and looked down at her again, his eyes slightly hooded as they glistened and sparkled hungrily. In that moment, Marinette couldn't help but feel like she was a small, lost gazelle and he was a hungry lion that was waiting to pounce.

"I've missed you so much." The boy gasped out, his eyes looking her up and down hungrily. "I couldn't find you. For so long I couldn't find you and I'm sorry."

Marinette squeaked as he quickly removed his hand from her mouth, only to seal her lips again with a deep, passionate kiss. Marinette couldn't register what was happening at first. His lips felt incredibly hot against hers as they hungrily devoured her, forcing her mouth open so that his tongue could explore her. That was what finally made Marinette snap out of her state of complete and utter shock.

Screaming into his mouth, Marinette managed to shuffle her arms up enough so that she could try and push against his chest. He didn't budge under her force, but he did seem to take the hint that she wanted him off and away from her. He abruptly pulled back, looking down at her in shock and confusion.

"Get off me!" Marinette yelled before screaming. "Mom! Da –"

A leather clad hand covered her mouth again, preventing her screams from escaping.

"Even if you did keep screaming and those people you call parents came up, they wouldn't see me, nor be able to help." He whispered into her ear, causing Marinette to immediately fall silent beneath him and tremble with fear. He then let go of her mouth and this time, Marinette didn't say or do anything. She just stared up at the weird looking intruder in fear.

The intruder then chuckled humourlessly. "Oh I get it, you're still mad at me over what happened."

All Marinette could do was look back up at him in horror. This guy really was crazy. If she could just find some way of reaching for her phone without him stopping her, she could call the police and keep him distracted until they arrived and arrested him. Marinette wasn't even sure if he was carrying any sort of weapon. Her eyes scanned down his body as he continued to hover over her, but all she could see that looked remotely like a weapon was some metal looking baton that he had strapped to his black leather belt. At the sight of it, Marinette couldn't help but try and shuffle up the bed slightly, trying to put as much distance between them as possible.

This seemed to upset her intruder and he sighed, pushing himself off of her before jumping down onto the floor next to her bed. Marinette sat upright, pulling her covers up with her and using them to cover her body in case he tried to stab her or something. All the while her heart was in her mouth and she didn't dare blink. Marinette didn't think she had ever felt so terrified.

"I truly am sorry for what I said." His voice helped snap her out of her panicked state slightly. "I didn't mean any of it. I was just trying to protect you, but I ended up just pushing you further into danger."

Thankful that this crazy guy was now off of her and pacing her bedroom, Marinette, without taking her eyes off him, reached for her phone. She cringed as the bright screen lit up her room slightly, but the intruder didn't seem to notice or care. He continued pacing, looking incredibly pained and frantic as he did so. All the while, the room grew colder and colder. Marinette shivered but wasted no more time and dialled the emergency number.

However, the phone had barely begun ringing when the call suddenly hung up by itself. Marinette gasped and stared at her phone with eyes wide in terror before yelping as the phone flew out of her hand. Her eyes followed it across the room where it landed in the intruder's waiting hand. He smirked at her before looking at her phone in amusement.

"Aren't mortals clever inventing these things? Maybe I can see why you were so fascinated by them." The intruder continued to smirk as he examined the phone in his hand. "Us demons have no need for such things though."

Marinette gasped.

Demon.

Everything was starting to make sense now. The Ouija Board, the mark on her hand, the weird things that had been happening to her all day and now this. This was all just part of the prank! The phone flying across her room was just some magic trick. She had seen people carrying out illusions like that all the time. Her friends really were taking it too far this time; hiring an actor to do all of this. How had he gotten into her apartment? Had they stolen her keys? She was truly going to make her friends pay for this! Her fear had now almost pretty much vanished, only to be replaced by a seething anger.

"Okay, very funny!" Marinette growled out.

"Funny?"

"Where are you guys hiding? Where are the cameras?" Marinette clumsily jumped down from her bed and began looking around her room. This really was beyond ridiculous. They had to be somewhere recording this whole thing. They were trying to make Marinette think that she really had sold her soul to a demon, well, she wasn't going to buy it! She'd been made a fool of enough times today with their stupid pranks!

Marinette then angrily turned towards the 'demon' and marched towards him, examining every inch of his body. He just watched her with a blank expression on his face, standing completely straight and rigid. Marinette reached up and grabbed hold of his ears and tugged on them slightly.

"Hey! Ouch!" He moaned.

Marinette only laughed. "I must say, I'm very impressed with this costume. What are you, a street performer or something? How much did you get paid to do this?"

Marinette then moved down to fiddle with the little bell around his neck. She flicked it and it gave a light ring, making her giggle slightly. The boy was now frowning at her, seemingly growing more and more impatient the more she examined him. Marinette didn't pay attention though. She didn't care that she was annoying him. He was annoying her.

She grabbed hold of his hand and brought it up to look at it. Beneath the leather gloves, it looked like he had claws that sharply protruded from his fingers. Marinette delicately placed her the tip of her finger against one of them and flinched slightly at how sharp they actually were. Surely that was some sort of health and safety hazard? But they were definitely something that would be very easy to fake. She was a designer and could have easily designed a costume like this herself. Her friends really had outdone themselves.

Marinette then gasped as he snatched his hand out of her grasp before he grabbed her arm, gripping it tightly while pulling her slightly closer to him. He glared down at her, seemingly examining every detail of her face. It looked like he was seeing right into her very soul and it caused a shiver to run down Marinette's spine. She felt naked and completely exposed under his gaze. Despite that though, Marinette couldn't bring herself to move. It felt like she had been completely frozen and hypnotised by him.

"Y-you're…" The boy gasped out, glaring at her, looking almost like he was going to be sick as he seemed unable to say what he wanted to say.

Marinette rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry my friends have got you involved in this stupid joke, but please leave."

The boy then dropped her hand as if her flesh had burned him. Marinette watched, puzzled as he stumbled backwards slightly, his eyes wide as he gazed at her as if she had suddenly grown a second head. Marinette folded her arms across her chest self-consciously. Maybe this wasn't a joke. Maybe this really was some insane guy. Or maybe this was still all part of the act? Marinette wasn't sure at this point. But the fear began coursing through her veins again the instant the boy's expression morphed into one of anger. Anger then became a thunderous rage and a look of pure disgust and pain. Marinette automatically began backing away, but he grabbed hold of her wrist once again, preventing her from moving away any further and startling Marinette in the process.

"What have you done to yourself?" The boy snapped.

"What?!" Marinette shrieked, freaking out over his sudden mood change.

"Have you done this just to spite me or something?" He hissed, his tone becoming more desperate. "All these centuries…all this time…did I mean nothing to you? Did I not warn you that something like this would happen? Now look at you! Nothing but a filthy, disgusting mortal."

"You're crazy!" Marinette screamed at him. "Let me go!"

The boy took a deep breath but did not loosen his grip on her wrist. All the while, Marinette watched him with wide eyes, terrified of what he was going to do or say next. This guy really was crazy. This didn't seem to be acting at this point. The pain in his eyes was too real. It seemed like this guy really had mistaken her for someone else.

"Okay…" He took another deep breath. "You've proven your point. Just…I don't know. Change back? Whatever it is you've done, reverse it. I've learnt my lesson. I still love you, no matter what."

"L-love me…?!" Marinette squeaked, shaking uncontrollably in the presence of someone who was clearly beyond insane.

"Yes." He smiled at her. "I love you. I _need_ you. My special little princess. Our world is falling apart without you." He pulled her further towards him, wrapping his arms around her while Marinette remained frozen in fear. He kissed her forehead before burying his face in her hair.

"I'll _always_ love you. Even as a mortal, I love you, Ladybug. And now that you've finally let me mark you, we can make sure that we stay together forever."

Marinette was speechless. How do you respond to something as insane as that? This guy needed help, but he had placed her phone down on the desk behind him. She was trapped. No doubt if she started screaming, he would easily apprehend her again…or worse. Maybe if she kept him talking, he would see how insane this all was. Then maybe once he realised he had the wrong girl, he would leave.

"Listen – ummm – sir…I think you have the wrong girl." Marinette tried to calmly reason with him.

The boy pulled back and blinked at her.

"I-I'm not a ladybug. I'm just a girl. My name is Marinette."

The boy scrunched up his nose. "Please don't tell me you've got settled into this little _life_ of yours here."

Marinette tried her best to back out of his arms, but he clung onto her tightly, refusing to let her move anywhere. Marinette gulped. Okay, so maybe that hadn't been the right thing to say. It seemed that no matter what she did, she just made him angrier and angrier. The room grew even colder, making Marinette shiver even more. She then looked up into his eyes fearfully and his own eyes stared back, flat, angry and in a state of vexation. Marinette's scream became caught in her throat as the glasses of water she had used for her paints suddenly smashed due to some unseen force. The lights in her room began to flicker on and off and she could feel his fingers beginning to dig into her arms. All the while Marinette remained as still as a statue.

So maybe this was a dream? No…a nightmare. She had scared herself so much with that movie and the Ouija board that it was now affecting her dreams. What else explained all of this? She was now dreaming that a demon was in her room. Wasn't ladybug the word that had been spelled out on the Ouija board? Obviously her memories were putting all of this together and had somehow tried to make up a demon. But surely demons didn't look like this? They weren't supposed to be handsome and cute looking. They were supposed to be scary! Although, this one did look a little on the scary side, it was more of an unusual scary rather than grotesque monster scary. And his anger was certainly adding to her fear. She needed to find a way to wake up.

"Don't keep testing me, Ladybug." The boy threatened darkly.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Marinette whimpered.

"That's I don't know what you're talking about, _your highness_." He growled at her. "If you're going to be stubborn and continue to test me, then you will address me as such! Two can play at this game."

This insane guy must really fancy himself, Marinette thought to herself fearfully. An inflated ego on top of derangement. There was clearly no way she was getting out of this alive. But maybe that's what she needed. If he killed her, then she would have to wake up. Right?

"Are you going to kill me?" Marinette asked timidly.

He blinked at her again.

"Well go ahead and do it then!" Marinette demanded. "If you're a demon and I'm a human, then kill me!"

When he did nothing, Marinette finally managed to yank her arms out of his shocked hands and began slapping her face and punching herself in the head to try and wake herself up. This had to be a dream. She just needed to wake herself up and then she would see that there were no insane cat boys claiming to be demons in her room. _It was just a dream. It was just a dream!_

"Come on, wake up!" Marinette pleaded with herself, shaking her head rapidly. "Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up!" Tears began falling from her eyes once she realised that she didn't seem to be waking up. _Come one, Marinette,_ she internally yelled at herself, _wake up!_

"This can't be real." Marinette kept on chanting. "There's no demons in my room. Demons don't exist. I'm going to wake up and then everything will be back to normal." She swayed herself back and forth, squeezing her eyes tightly shut in the hopes that when she got the courage to open them, she'd wake up and be back in her bed. The sun will have risen and she'll be as late for school as she always was. Then this will just be nothing more than a distant memory of a creepy nightmare that, in weeks to come, she will have hopefully forgotten all about.

"You…oh no…" The boy gasped, making Marinette squeeze her eyes shut even tighter. It wasn't working! She needed to try harder to wake up.

 _Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up!_

"I'm so sorry…" She was sure she heard the boy whisper, but she wasn't paying that much attention. Instead, she focused all of her energy into trying to wake herself up. There was no way any of this could be real. This all being a nightmare was the only explanation. Her friends could never come up with a joke that went this far. The things that had happened…there was no way they could have pulled all that off. So that left only one plausible explanation: she was dreaming.

"Well…" His voice returned to sounding dark and playful. "This certainly makes things interesting and easier for me."

Marinette ignored him, resorted to slamming her head against one of the wooden pillars of her room. "Wake up! Wake up!"

She then gasped as she was suddenly yanked backwards by her shoulders, squealing as she lost her balance slightly before a pair of arms caught her. Marinette squeezed her eyes shut again, hoping to wake up. When she opened them again, she became frustrated and frightened to find that she was still in the boy's arms. He had caught her before she had fallen and was staring down at her with amused eyes.

"Why my princess, I am flattered that you think this is all a dream. I must be your dream guy then." He winked at her, his smirk wicked, yet playful.

"More like a nightmare." Marinette squeaked out, staring at him in alarm.

"Meouch. You wound me." He pulled her back up though refused to let go her, pressing himself uncomfortable close against her. Marinette tried to wiggle free, unable to look away from his hypnotic, green cat-like eyes. They sparkled at her playfully and Marinette found herself transfixed. If this guy was full of bad jokes, then it definitely was a nightmare.

"But I can assure you, princess, that I am very much real." He teased, leaning towards her. Marinette automatically moved her head back as far as it could go, but he just kept leaning forward, his smirk widening the more nervous and flustered Marinette became.

"It's nice to know that my presence still has such an affect on you." He chuckled.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." Marinette stuttered.

"I think you do." He purred, leaning in to try and close the remaining small gap between them.

Marinette squealed and ducked her head down, managing to twist herself out of his grasp at last. She backed away from him as quickly as she could, not stopping until her back hit the wall on the opposite side of her room. Thankfully, the boy merely turned around and smirked at her, folding his arms arrogantly across his chest as his eyes continued to watch her with that hungry glint in them that never failed to send a shiver down Marinette's spine. There was something about him that made her feel completely powerless. He radiated something that had Marinette wanting to make herself appear as small as possible. To bow before him subserviently and do everything that she could to please him. It made her feel extremely uncomfortable and physically sick. It terrified her. She wanted to get away from him as quickly as she could. There was such a dark aura that seemed to surround him. It was invisible, but Marinette could sense it. She had never felt such a strange, terrifying sensation.

"Why can't you please just leave me alone?" Marinette begged, almost sobbing.

"I'm afraid I can't leave you, my princess." He didn't seem at all bothered by that fact. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying every minute of it. "I am bound to you now. For all eternity. I should have tried this a lot sooner. It feels…very intimate, don't you agree?" He raised an eyebrow at her cheekily before winking at her again.

"What are you talking about?" Marinette whimpered. "Who are you?" She finally asked.

"I am Chat Noir," He bowed to her, chuckling to himself, "Demon of bad luck and destruction."

"A…a demon?!" Marinette shrieked. "I don't understand…wake up, wake up, wake up!"

Chat Noir rolled his eyes. "Is it so hard to allow yourself to believe what is in front of your own eyes?"

"This can't be real. None of this can be real!" Marinette continued to deny, shaking her head.

"I am very much real." He smirked as he began stalking towards her, halting in his tracks when he saw Marinette flinch away slightly. His face remained playful though as he tilted his head to one side. Marinette continued to watch him, her eyes wide with fear as her heart continued to rapidly pulsate in her chest. Her breathing came out in harsh gasps and she was sure that at any moment, all of this would be too much and she would pass out.

"Chat Noir…" Marinette sounded the name out on her tongue. That certainly was a strange name for a demon. She had never heard of any demon named Chat Noir. Something about the name was slightly familiar, though Marinette was too scared to even begin to attempt to try and put her finger on it.

Chat Noir's smirk widened. "Surely you haven't forgotten out little midnight chat so fast?"

Marinette gasped. "T-that was you?!"

Chuckling again, Chat Noir nodded.

"But…but…I…" Marinette spluttered.

"Thought it was your little mortal friends." Chat Noir spoke for her. "I must say I was a little insulted by that. Especially after working so hard to talk to you specifically."

"Me? Why?" Marinette gasped out. "Why are you so obsessed with me?"

Chat Noir seemed to flinch at that question, looking incredibly pained by it. His fingers twitched and the lights once again flickered, making Marinette whimper in fear. She could see her breath in front of her as the temperature of her room remained cold, almost as if his presence was drawing all of the energy out of the room. His eyes continued to carefully watch her, rendering Marinette enchanted; their gazes were as intense as those between a snake charmer and a cobra.

He took another step forward, seeming desperate to close the space that was between them. Marinette flinched away again, only this time, Chat Noir seemed to lose his patience. Raising his hand, Chat Noir seemed to beckon her with his finger and Marinette yelped, tears cascading down her cheeks as she was pulled towards him as if some unseen force had grabbed hold of her. Marinette crashed into him, trembling with fear as Chat Noir wrapped his arms around her again, smiling innocently down at her as if nothing had just happened.

"Sorry to do that, I just can't stand the thought of you being out of my arms." He purred.

Marinette shuddered, trying her best not to cringe away and anger him. Who knew what other crazy powers he had. Why couldn't she wake up? None of this was possible! Scary, possessive and obsessive demons should not be in her room right now. They shouldn't be in her room ever because they weren't real!

"And why's that?" Marinette whimpered out her question.

His arms tightened around her, but he didn't say anything for a few long seconds.

"And now that your soul belongs to me, I can summon you whenever I like." He sounded giddy at that thought.

"Wait…what?" Marinette shrieked before she gasped as she remembered. She had offered him her eternal soul. She had sold her soul to a demon! But…wait…no! She didn't mean it! Surely that would mean that it didn't count? This couldn't be happening! Marinette's chest heaved as she panted, her throat closed up as she struggled to breathe, leaving her gasping for air.

"Get off me!" Marinette begged. "GET OFF ME!"

Chat Noir dropped her and let go of her, slightly startled. Meanwhile, all Marinette could do was try and gasp for air. Her lungs burned and the tips of her fingers and toes began to tingle and grow numb. _Come on Marinette, wake up!_ Her mind spun with the realisation of everything. It all made sense. But no! It still had to be a dream! Why wasn't she waking up?! She stumbled backwards slightly in panic, shuddering and almost gagging when she felt Chat Noir snake his arms around her waist again.

"That's right, my princess, you belong to me now." He seemed more than elated by that thought. "I thought it had been too good to be true at the time. I never in a million years thought that you would give it to me. But you did it. It was far easier than I could have ever hoped for!" He gasped out. "You surrendered your soul to me. It helped pull me through the veil and lock myself onto you, allowing me to fully manifest myself into the mortal world and be with you properly."

Marinette couldn't believe what she was hearing. There was no way she was imaginative enough to dream up something like this. Her mind spun with this information, leaving her in a frozen state of complete and utter shock. All the while, Chat Noir smirked down at her, seeming very content and pleased with the situation.

"But…I…I didn't mean it!" Marinette tried to protest. "It was a joke!"

Chat Noir frowned at that, the lights all around her room buzzed again as they flickered ever so slightly.

"Please, just leave me alone!" Marinette begged. "This is just a dream right? It has to be a dream! I didn't really sell my soul, it was all just one big joke!"

"It's very real indeed, princess." Chat Noir turned more sinister and serious. He trailed his hand up her waist and then down her arm, finally stopping when he reached her right hand. Marinette shuddered and kept herself completely still as if she was surrounded by a thousand wasps. She didn't dare move. She didn't dare speak. All the while, Chat Noir kept his serious eyes locked onto hers, daring her to do anything or say anything else. Marinette didn't feel like testing him further at this point.

Chat Noir then backed away from her slightly, but kept his hand wrapped tightly around hers. He gracefully held their arms out, as if they were in the middle of dancing. He turned their hands so that that back of Marinette's hand was facing upwards, revealing the dark mark that had now fully formed on her pale skin. It looked like a tattoo and Marinette gasped at the sight of it. The whole design was encased in a circle. Inside, was an upside down, five pointed star, with the symbol of a small paw print inside. Chat Noir shifted his own hand to reveal the black ring that Marinette had not noticed he had been wearing on his finger. In the middle, was a glowing green paw print, exactly like the one in the centre of the mark on Marinette's hand.

"I have been waiting to possess your soul for centuries and now it finally belongs to me. _You_ belong to me." It sounded like he was struggling to hide the excitement in his voice.

"No…" Marinette gasped.

"And in return, I pledge myself to you, my princess." He continued to purr, a smile of pleasure tugging at the corner of his lips as he tried to remain serious and explain things to her. "In exchange for your soul I give myself to you; my own eternal soul."

Marinette swallowed, unable to speak as she began to feel dizzy.

Chat Noir then tenderly stroked the black mark on the back of her hand, smirking at her as he did so. "This mark – my mark – is a symbol to all that I am yours, and that you are _mine._ "

But Marinette could barely register the words he was saying. They all echoed and sounded muffled, as if she had suddenly been dunked under water. The world around her began to spin, making her feel even more dizzy. She swayed on her feet slightly, her ears beginning to ring until she finally felt herself fall forwards before everything went black.

* * *

 **Oh dear. What on earth has Marinette gotten herself into? Also, we finally formally meet Chat! I'm not completely satisfied with this chapter. I re-wrote and edited it to death and just couldn't get myself to be one hundred percent satisfied with it. This was the best I feel I could get it. But hey, I guess that's ultimately for you guys to decided. Feel free to let me know what you think by leaving a review. I read and appreciate every single one of them. See you guys soon.**


	4. Forever

**Wow! Thank you so much for the amazing responses to the previous chapter! Awesome reviews like that are what help me keep writing. I really can't thank you guys enough, you're all so amazing! It's still too hot and I'm still dying, but the show must go on.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Forever**

"Is this really what you want?" A deep, unfamiliar voice echoed towards Marinette in the darkness. Despite not being able to see anything, Marinette felt like she was floating across a vast ocean, carrying her to some unknown location. She couldn't see. Why couldn't she see? Panicking, Marinette began trying to force her eyes open, until they finally did so. Her vision was blurry at first and she could feel little droplets of water falling onto her hands.

Marinette tried to move, but her body refused to obey her. It was like she was trapped inside her own mind. Despite not telling them to do so, her eyes blinked and her vision cleared slightly as even more droplets of water fell from her eyes. She was…crying? A wave of unimaginable misery washed over her. It felt like her heart had been torn to shreds and guilt gnawed away at her flesh. But she had to do this. She had to get away. Her kitty hated her. So maybe it was best that she disappeared like this and started a new life. It was the only future she could see for herself now.

The head of the body Marinette was trapped inside looked up at last, away from the grey, stone floor beneath her. The stairs in front of her lead up to a grand looking throne. A stain glass window with the shape of a butterfly engraved into it was the only source of light in the dull, darkened room. A tall, thin man stood next to the throne, his face predominantly hidden by a grey mask and his purple and grey suit made him look regal and elegant. He leaned his weight slightly onto his cane, looking down at Marinette with a hint of disdain, but there was no hiding the pleased sparkle in his grey eyes. Marinette realised that she was crouched down on her hands and knees and she could feel herself pleading to this man with her eyes.

"Yes." Marinette found herself whispering.

The man above her appeared to raise on eyebrow at her. "And what does my son think of this?"

Marinette winced as her heart began painfully pulsating in her chest. It felt like someone had reached into her chest and was squeezing her heart with a hot, iron like grip. In a futile attempt to ease the pain, Marinette sat up slightly before bringing her arms up to wrap around her chest as if she was trying to hold herself together. She rested each hand on the opposite shoulder before clenching them into tight fists. Her teeth snapped together and her eyebrows deeply furrowed into a betrayed frown.

"He doesn't care." Fresh tears began spilling down her cheeks at the utterance of those words. The truth stung and no matter how tightly Marinette held herself, it still felt like she was going to break apart at any second. She couldn't stay here. She couldn't stand being here. Not when there was a world of people that needed her. There she could do good. Here, all she could do was cause people pain and experience nothing but pain herself. It was better for everyone that she left. The flashes of the people she loved flashed across her mind, but she forced them away. She needed to do this and couldn't afford to have any doubt.

The man rolled his eyes slightly and Marinette flinched away from him, always finding the man incredibly intimidating. He slapped his cane against the palm of his hand, making Marinette jump. His shoes clicked against the stone floor as he began descending the steps and heading towards a small door on the opposite side of the room. All the while, Marinette never took her eyes off him and kept watching as he paused in the doorway.

"You best come with me then." He ordered, not even looking back at her.

Swallowing her fear, Marinette slowly stood back up and began walking towards him. He held the door open for her, allowing her to walk past him. She didn't like the close proximity that it caused them to be in. She trembled in fear at his very presence, let alone walking by so close to him. He towered over her and his eyes watched her, the two icy pools were forever frozen over. The room was completely pitch black and the last thing Marinette could remember hearing was the sound of the wooden door creaking shut behind her.

 _Ladybug._

 _Marinette._

 _Marinette!_

Marinette's eyes slowly fluttered open, her vision still slightly blurry as the bright light of her surroundings hurt her eyes and caused her to squint them shut again. Being more cautious this time, Marinette opened her eyes more slowly this time. She could just about make out a blurry shape above her. It still felt like she was underwater as the sound around her was muffled, but it sounded almost like someone was calling her name. Her head throbbed slightly, but the dizzying sensation was finally starting to disappear.

That sure was a crazy dream she had. Making a deal with a demon and then passing out to dream within a dream that she was talking to a creepy looking man in a purple suit. She definitely needed to stop watching horror movies and messing around with scary stuff. It was starting to invade her dreams now. But luckily that was all it had been. A dream.

Finally, her vision cleared even more and Marinette's eyes widened as soon as she realised that someone was hovering above her. She wasn't lying down and couldn't feel the hard wooden floor beneath her back. Instead, something soft was wrapped around her small frame. Her legs were on the floor, but something was holding her body up. Green cat-like eyes stared down at her in panic. At this sight, Marinette squealed and began trying to wiggle out of his grip.

Seemingly confused and frightened, Chat Noir let her go. Marinette pushed herself up onto her feet only to wobble slightly as she got up too quickly. Blood rushed to her head, making her feel dizzy again and Marinette was sure she was about to hit the floor when warm arms caught her, preventing her from doing so.

"Are you alright?" Chat Noir gasped out. "What happened?"

Marinette tried to squirm out of his grasp again, but this time he wouldn't let her go. He kept his arms pinned around her in an unbreakable hold and Marinette's head remained pressed against his chest. The leather felt smooth beneath the skin of her cheek. With her ear pressed against his chest, Marinette heard – or rather didn't hear – something that further confirmed her worst nightmares: no heartbeat. The realisation caused Marinette to freeze in place, her eyes wide with horror as she didn't know what to do.

So last night had really happened then? A demon had really visited her and claimed that she had sold her soul to him? But how was all of this even possible? Demons weren't real! But clearly they were. There was one who had his arms wrapped around her right now. She didn't even dare breathe. What if he was here to kill her? If she had sold her soul to him, why didn't he just take it? Was it a fate worse than death? Marinette wanted to scream, cry and lash out for having been so stupid. She knew that messing with a Ouija board was a bad idea, yet she went and did it anyway just to prove a stupid point. She had stupidly thought that this whole thing was a prank. Now she was paying the ultimate price.

"Is it normal for humans to just…shut down like that?" Chat Noir's concerned voice brought her back out of her deep, panicked thoughts. Why did he sound so concerned for her? Wasn't he here to kill her or something? More blurry memories began to surface in Marinette's mind again. This demon had seemed…almost obsessed with her. He had claimed that he loved her. What did that even mean? She didn't even know that demons could feel such emotions. Demons were just…demons. Was it some sort of ploy? She'd heard in myths and legends that demons loved to mess with humans. Maybe this was one of those cases. Well, even if she had sold her soul to him, she wasn't going to give it up, not without a fight at least.

"No!" Marinette cried out, managing to bring her arms up so she could shove him against his chest. Despite likely being able to easily keep her in place, Chat Noir let her go. Marinette stumbled backwards, this time keep her balance as she backed away from him as far as possible. Finally, her back hit the wall and she slid down it, never once taking her eyes off Chat Noir. She wanted to put as much distance between them as possible. His eyes still held concern, though they looked more amused now. He looked like he was about to walk towards her when Marinette held her hands out in fear.

"Stay back!" Marinette screamed her order.

Chat Noir frowned, but did as he was told, folding his arms across his chest cockily as he stayed in place. Marinette took that as an opportunity to try and control her breathing which was starting to come out in harsh rasps. Her stomach kept doing terrified flips and her heart felt like it was ready to give out at any second. The room was now lighter from the rising morning sun. It allowed her to get a better look at the…the… _demon_ …that was right in front of her. Marinette couldn't even bring herself to think the word.

He was indeed very handsome, but Marinette knew that was just part of their tricks to lure humans in. His green, cat-like eyes were growing slightly impatient as they continued to stare at her. Unable to look at his inhuman eyes for much longer, Marinette looked away and realised that he was wearing some sort of leather suit that hugged his well defined body perfectly. Her heart rate rose again slightly and Marinette curled her legs underneath her, bringing her knees up to her chin and made herself look as small as possible. Her eyes darted towards her bedroom door, but he was standing much closer towards it meaning that Marinette had no hope of escape.

"Go away! Disappear!" Marinette yelled at him, growing increasingly uncomfortable under his intense gaze. She hated the way that he looked at her. He stared at her as if she was the only thing in the room. Like she was an oasis in the middle of a desert. Like she was a goddess and he couldn't help but stare at her in awe. It was so intense that it had Marinette squirming again. She didn't like it. It was so inhumane and almost animalistic that it sent a violent shiver down her spine. She became worried that she might pass out from fear again. She was surprised that he hadn't taken off with her while she was unconscious. Or taken advantage of her vulnerability and killed her right there and then while she was passed out. His behaviour wasn't making any sense to her.

His lips pulled back into a smirk again. "We've been over this. I can't; I'm bound to you now."

Marinette nearly chocked at his words. Her eyes darted down to the black mark that was still visible on the back of her hand. It perfectly contrasted against her pale skin and was hard to miss. She couldn't help but look at it in disgust despite the fear it inspired. It was like she – her soul – had been branded as his property now. Like a logo on merchandise or a mark on cattle. It made her feel sick. How could she have been so stupid?!

"But…I…I didn't mean it." Marinette squeaked out. "I didn't mean to sell my soul. I thought my friends were pranking me."

Chat Noir's eyes tightened slightly. "Accident or not, you still offered your soul to me and I chose to accept it."

"But why?!" Marinette gasped out, hiding her mark from view, unable to stand seeing it in her peripheral vision any longer. "Why me? There's plenty of other people out there, why choose me?"

Chat Noir remined silent for a few moments before he finally spoke. "I have my reasons."

"And what reasons are they?"

Chat Noir's eyes turned pained before he looked away as if to hide them. Marinette watched him carefully, still shivering in fear. The lights in her room flickered slightly again as Chat Noir seemed to become even more tense. He pressed his lips together into a tight, thin line. Anger and pain radiated from him and Marinette's eyes widened even more as she decided it would be best not to push him further. She had no idea where that boldness had even come from in the first place. Why was she engaging him in conversation? She should be plotting her escape route. Her eyes darted to her bedroom door and then to the door that lead to her balcony, trying to decide which escape route gave her the best chance of getting away from him. What she didn't realise was that Chat Noir had caught sight of this.

"Even if you tried to run away from me, I'd find you." He chuckled.

Marinette gulped before huffing to herself. It could just be a bluff. There was no way to be certain, but she didn't fancy her chances. He was a…a demon after all. Who knows what kind of terrifying powers he had. It already seemed like he could manipulate the room around her. The lights seemed to flicker whenever she seemed to get on his bad side. The room was still unbelievably cold and Marinette was starting to shiver.

"Like I said, I'm bound to you, which means I can find you anytime, anywhere." His smirk widened. "Since I own your soul now, I can technically manipulate you to do whatever I want." He raised his hand slightly and Marinette gasped, her scream becoming caught in her throat as she was suddenly lifted into the air. She flailed her limbs around, feeling completely terrified as she hovered a few inches off the floor. She wobbled clumsily in the air and all the while Chat Noir chuckled playfully.

He beckoned her with his hand and Marinette yelped again as she was pulled towards him, her body manipulated beyond her control. She slammed into his body and he caught her in his arms, wrapped them around her again and imprisoning her. Marinette was too shocked to thrash around and try and escape again. She trembled in fear as Chat Noir simply smiled and buried his face in her hair again.

"W-what are you going to do with my soul?" Marinette managed to stutter out.

Chat Noir abruptly pulled away to look down at her. "What?" He asked, looking completely confused.

"Are you going to kill me? Take my soul to hell and use it for whatever you want?" Marinette's imagination began running wild with terrifying images. A world of eternal fire where Marinette would be doomed to do Chat Noir's bidding for all eternity. She would never get the chance to say goodbye to her parents and her friends. They would find her lifeless corpse in her room, dead under mysterious circumstances. Would he make it look like she died from natural causes? Or would he slash her body up and render it unrecognisable. At that thought, Marinette became even more aware of the feeling of Chat Noir's sharp claws against her skin. They sent tingling sensations up her arms and throughout her entire body. A single flex was all it would take to dig into her skin and Marinette would be powerless to stop him.

"Why would I want to kill you?" Chat Noir asked incredulously.

Marinette shivered in fear again. "Because you're a demon and I'm a human and I sold my soul to you."

"That doesn't mean I want you dead." He chuckled before leaning down to purr in her ear. "You're much more useful to me alive."

Marinette's breathing hitched at his words and she tried to squirm away from him again. Chat Noir merely tightened his grip and once again, Marinette might as well have been fighting against titanium. She remained tightly pressed against him, making it impossible for her to reach her arms up and push him this time. His scent surrounded her, a delicious fragrance that made her feel slightly weak at the knees. Shaking herself out of those weird thoughts, Marinette forced herself to try and think of a way out of this. Surely there must be some way to back out of this deal? Maybe there was some sort of loophole and something she could do to get out of it.

"I'm not going to do anything to you. You're safe with me this time and I'm not going to let anything hurt you again." Chat Noir continued to purr into her ear as he rested his chin against her shoulder, embracing her tightly.

Marinette remained as still as possible, not daring to move an inch.

"I'm just never going to leave your side again." He vowed fiercely.

"Again?" Marinette frowned. There he went again with that weird talk. "What do you mean again?"

"It doesn't matter." He replied flatly.

Marinette paused for a moment before she asked her next question. She had a feeling that he wasn't going to like it, but she needed to ask. If it cost her life, then so be it. She needed to ask, though she had an awful, sinking feeling that she already knew the answer.

"Isn't there any way I can…back out of the deal?" Marinette asked quietly and slowly.

Chat Noir remained ominously silent, his grip around her tightening even more. Any tighter and he would probably easily squash her as if she was nothing more than an insect. Marinette braced herself for whatever was about to come next. Her heart leapt into her throat and her instincts kept screaming at her to run away. But where could she run to? Chat Noir had her completely trapped.

"Why would you want to back out of it?" Chat Noir growled out. "Don't you know how beautiful this is? We're bonded forever."

Marinette cringed.

"And no, there is no way out of this. You pledged your soul to me for eternity. There's no backing out of it."

In that moment, Marinette felt like she might burst into tears. She held her sobs back as much as she could, but she wasn't strong enough to stop a few stray tears from leaking out of her eyes and trickling down her cheeks. There was no way out. Marinette was stuck with the consequences of her stupid actions for all eternity. Why did she have to mess with that Ouija board? Why couldn't she have just left it alone instead of trying to prove a point to herself? This was it for her now. _Forever._

That word was enough to send her over the edge. She fell completely limp in Chat Noir's arms as the sobs burst free from her chest. She struggled to breathe as a lump formed in her throat and her nose clogged up. Her stomach kept doing flips to a point where Marinette felt like she might be sick. Her whole form trembled violently, which was only made worse by the sobs that escaped her chest.

Chat Noir pulled back to look at her in shock. The sight of his face again was enough to make Marinette try and be brave again. She couldn't let this demon win. She couldn't show him that he had won and that he had gotten her. He could have been lying when he said there was a way out of this. If there was a way, then Marinette was going to find it. She would free herself from this demon. He could obsess with her all he liked, but Marinette would never allow herself to belong to him.

"W-why would you do this to me?" Marinette forced herself to say, trying to keep her voice from shaking. "Why did you claim to love me last night? If you really love someone, you don't do this to them! Tell me what's going on and why you seem to know me!"

"Why are you so interested?" Chat Noir snapped back. "Unless you've been lying to me?" He narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously.

"What?" Marinette gasped.

"Unless this is all some sort of act?" The lights began flickering again.

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

Chat Noir read her face carefully while Marinette stared at him with wide fearful eyes. Whatever he found in her eyes seemed to make him relax slightly which only confused Marinette even more. Why did he talk in riddles like that? It was obvious that he was hiding something from her. But what? At this point, Marinette was too scared to ask anymore questions. Maybe it didn't matter. All Marinette cared about was trying to find a way out of this deal.

Subconsciously, Marinette looked down at the mark on her hand and once again, the sight of it never failed to strike her with fear.

"It wasn't the candle wax that burned me that night, was it?" Marinette asked shakily.

Chat Noir shook his head before attempting to pull her close again. Marinette frowned and flinched away which caused Chat Noir to sigh and give up. He looked down at her mark as well and tenderly grabbed hold of her hand, pulling it up so that they could both see it better.

"I am sorry for how much it hurt you. I honestly didn't expect it to hurt so much myself." He said in slight amazement.

"Huh?" Marinette frowned in confusion.

Chat Noir smirked at her as he released her hand. He kept holding his own hand up though and reached for his black leather glove with his other hand. He pulled it back enough to give Marinette a good view of the back of his own hand and Marinette gasped. There, in the middle of Chat Noir's own hand was a mark that was very similar to hers. There was an outer circle with contained an upside down star inside. However, instead of a paw print like her mark had, in the middle of the star, Chat Noir had another circle with what looked like large spots inside. Marinette continued to stare at it in shock and surprise. However, unlike hers, it looked like Chat Noir's hadn't fully formed it. It was still red and hadn't turned black like hers had.

"The deal is not yet complete." Chat Noir sounded on edge.

Marinette gasped. "W-what?"

"You offered your eternal soul to me and I accepted. You never uttered any words about accepting my soul in return." Chat Noir explained to her in haste. "That's why my mark is not fully formed yet. You haven't accepted my own offer."

He released his glove, letting it spring back into place before he reached back up and cupped Marinette's cheeks. Marinette squeaked in fear as he tenderly stroked her cheeks with his thumbs, removing all traces of her tears from her face. He stared at her more intensely than he had ever stared at her before. Marinette found herself completely frozen and hypnotised by his gaze. There was an urgent fire behind his eyes and Marinette didn't think she had ever seen anyone look so desperate.

"Just say the words." Chat Noir begged and Marinette gasped as he bowed down and grabbed hold of her marked hand, clinging to it like a lifeline. "I was hoping you would have said the words by now. This was never intended to be a one sided thing. I want to belong to you as well. Just say it. Just say the words and I'll be yours forever. Say it!"

Words became caught in Marinette's throat as she remained frozen in fear over Chat Noir's sudden desperate behaviour. Why would he want that? Why would he want to belong to her? How would this whole thing work afterwards anyway? What demon would want to belong to a human? A species which he had expressed a huge amount of distaste towards. This wasn't making any sense. What would having her own demon even mean? Marinette was still incredibly overwhelmed by everything else that it felt like this new information might finally make her crack. Maybe she was crazy. She was talking to a demon after all. Maybe she was crazy and this was all some big hallucination.

"My princess…say the words."

"I..."

"Marinette?"

Marinette gasped at the sound of her mother calling her name from below. Chat Noir growled and Marinette jumped at the inhumane sound of it. He stood back up, but made no effort to hide which made Marinette stare at him in alarm. The sound of footsteps walking up the stairs towards Marinette's room made her begin to freak out even more. Oh no! What was her mother going to think at seeing this weird looking boy standing in her room?! How was she ever going to explain this? Marinette was a terrible liar and if she told the truth, she would only sound completely crazy.

Before Marinette could even think of doing anything to try and save the situation, Sabine was already opening her bedroom door. Marinette froze and it felt like everything was going in slow motion. She watched her mother's reaction carefully. Sabine looked around the room until her eyes finally landed on Marinette. Sabine stared at her daughter worriedly and Marinette stared back in confusion. Wasn't she noticing Chat Noir standing right next to her? Marinette looked towards Chat Noir who was glaring towards her mother with a thunderous expression. The sight of his expression made Marinette gulp and she hoped that he wouldn't do anything to her mother.

"I was beginning to think you'd overslept. But I see that you're already ready." Sabine noted before looking at her daughter more closely. "Are you alright sweetheart?"

"Errr, yeah, I'm fine." Marinette squeaked out her lie.

"You're looking incredibly pale. Are you sick?" Sabine's tone grew even more concerned. She marched over and placed her hand on Marinette's forehead. Marinette tugged the sleeve of her shirt down to try and hide the mark as much as possible, hoping with every fibre of her being that her mother wouldn't see it.

Chat Noir seemed to lurch forward slightly at the sight of her mother touching her, so Marinette quickly and gently pushed her mother's hand off her and smiled as innocently as she possibly could. So it looked like her mother couldn't see Chat Noir. For once, the universe seemed to be in her favour. But what if this did mean that Chat Noir was in her imagination? Maybe Marinette really had finally cracked.

"I'm fine mom, honest." Marinette tried her best to reassure a worried Sabine.

"As long as you're sure." She narrowed her eyes slightly. "Were you up all night on your phone again?"

"Huh?"

"I heard you talking in the middle of the night. You really need to learn to be more quiet and what did I say about staying up late on a school night?" Sabine lightly scolded.

"Oh – ummm – yeah! I was on the phone to Alya last night. I'm sorry mom." Marinette tried to lie as smoothly as possible, but it came out awkward. She heard Chat Noir chuckle next to her and she resisted the urge to turn around and glare at him.

"Make sure this doesn't continue otherwise I'm going to have to confiscate your phone." Sabine warned and Marinette nodded.

"And shouldn't you be on your way to school by now?" Sabine looked down at her watch.

"What?!" Marinette shrieked and her mother chuckled and shook her head incredulously before she left the room, closing Marinette's bedroom door behind her. Marinette turned around and wiggled the mouse of her computer to bring the screen back to life. Sure enough, if she wanted to make it to school on time, she should've set off about five minutes ago. No doubt the bell would be ringing at any moment and Marinette could end up getting herself another detention for being late.

"No no no no!" Marinette gasped out as she began hastily packing her books and pens for the day ahead. She tossed everything into her backpack, not caring if some of her books got squashed the process. It was lucky she had fallen asleep with her clothes on. She sprayed herself with some perfume and quickly ran over to her sink, brushing her teeth as fast as possible, almost completely forgetting the other presence in her room.

"And where do you think you're going?" A teasing voice sang from behind her.

Marinette turned back around with a mouthful of toothpaste to see Chat Noir sitting down and chilling on her desk chair.

"We still have a deal to finalise."

"Enough!" Marinette yelled, reaching her limit. "I've had enough of this. For all I know, you're just a figment of my imagination. Maybe I'm going crazy – I don't know! All I know is that I want you to go away and leave me alone! I'm not yours! No amount of flirting or puns or pressure is going to change that. I refuse to be intimidated by you!"

Chat Noir frowned at her, but Marinette ignored him as she turned back around and rinsed her mouth out. Once she was finished, she quickly ran back over to her backpack and in her haste, she began to feel even more brave. She stormed up to Chat Noir, who actually looked slightly alarmed by her sudden mood change. He stared up at her with wide eyes and his black ears drooped slightly as she approached.

"Don't follow me!" She ordered, stabbing a finger into his chest slightly. "I want you gone by the time I get back!"

Marinette needed to get out. Maybe some fresh air and being at school would do her good. Maybe she would come home and Chat Noir would be gone either through giving up on her or because this whole thing was a huge hallucination. Marinette didn't care just as long as he disappeared and she never had to see him again. School would provide her with a little bit of normality after the madness of last night. Because surely there was no way that Chat Noir was going to come and bother her at school.

With her firm orders given and desperate to try and make it to school, Marinette turned on her heel and began running towards her bedroom door, completely oblivious of the sinister smirk that was beginning to form on Chat Noir's face.

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 **I ended up having to split this chapter into two, so unfortunately this chapter feels more like filler to me. Anyway, feel free to let me know what you guys think. Reviews really help me out a lot. I'm definitely excited to write the next chapter. Poor poor poor Marinette. See you guys soon!**


	5. Otherworldly Stalker

**Ack, I was hoping to get this chapter up by Wednesday, but I've just been having such a stressful week and when I tried to write this chapter, I just couldn't concentrate, and what I wrote just felt awful and not up to my usual standard. I knew what I wanted to include in this chapter, but it just wouldn't come out right. So I ended up deleting loads of drafts and having to take a break from it and come back to it with a fresh mind, so I just hope it's paid off and it comes out okay. My chapter 5s just seem to be cursed.  
**

 **Thank you so much for all of your wonderful reviews! Seeing the amount of people enjoying this story makes me so happy! Reviews really help inspire me to keep writing. Also thank you to the wonderful people who have followed this story and added it to their favourites. Shout out to the people who sent me screenshots and messaged me about typos that I missed. I really appreciate the help.**

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 **Chapter 5: Otherworldly Stalker**

Stepping outside the bakery and into the fresh air almost felt like Marinette was being jolted awake. Fleeing from the nightmare realm of her bedroom and out into the street, back into reality. Did all of that really just happen? In a state of complete shock and confusion, Marinette couldn't help but pause by the entrance, just out of sight of her father who was busy with a few customers. It was so bizarre to see everybody else going about their daily routines as normal. To them, Marinette probably looked perfectly normal right now. Except she felt anything _but_ normal right now. Her heart rate refused to calm down and it still felt like the organ was about to leap out of her chest, grow legs and run away in fear. Shouldn't that be what Marinette should do? Scream and run?

Despite that being the logical reaction, all Marinette could do was remain frozen. If she did scream and run and claim a demon was after her, she would just end up looking crazy. Who would believe her? Her mother clearly hadn't seen Chat Noir, despite him standing right next to her. Maybe Marinette _was_ crazy. It would certainly explain why her mother couldn't see Chat Noir. Was he all just some sort of hallucination? Everything had felt so real though. Every sound, every word, every touch had felt very much real. From his warm body pressed against hers, to the purring sounds deep within his throat, his glowing green eyes and the eerie silence within his chest. Was Marinette's imagination really that vivid? Marinette didn't think so. Was she still clinging to a possible logical explanation and refusing to believe what was in front of her own eyes like Chat Noir had suggested? It was scarily possible.

Sighing to herself in a futile attempt to remove the heavy weight that felt like it was pressing against her chest, Marinette stepped away from the bakery slightly so that she could look up towards her bedroom. Her position didn't grant her a good view of inside her room, but there was no sign of Chat Noir near any of her windows. Maybe he was finally gone? Marinette could only hope. Hope that either this hallucination would stop or that Chat Noir would take her not so subtle hints to leave her alone. What she had done was an accident. Chat Noir was just going to have to accept that. Whether this whole thing was fantasy or reality, Marinette refused to play any part in it.

Speaking of reality…Marinette's heart dropped down to her stomach when she remembered that she was still running late for school. Yelping, Marinette took off and began sprinting across the busy road, not caring when cars honked their horns at her. To be honest, if she did get run over, at least she would then have a good excuse for being late. Luckily, Marinette was so used to being late for school that she had managed to adopt some tactics of sneaking into class without being noticed. But, because Marinette being late for school was a frequent occurrence, this also meant that if she did get caught sneaking into class, she would likely get into huge trouble.

Marinette gulped at the thought, but kept on running towards the main entrance of the school. Outside was deserted as, unlike Marinette, the other students had all made it to school on time and were already in their first class by now. Marinette's lungs burned and her legs were beginning to ache, but she kept on running. She burst through the entrance and began power walking down the corridor, not wanting to run in case she made too much noise. Every time her shoes squeaked against the tiled floor, Marinette cringed, just waiting for a teacher to pop their head around the door and catch her. Then it would be a detention for sure.

Finally, Marinette reached her classroom and paused outside to try and regain some composure. She tried her best to calm down her breathing and wiped some of the sweat away on her forehead with the palm of her hand before trying to straighten her hair out as best as she could. However, Marinette soon realised that she couldn't prolong it any longer and cautiously peaked through the window of the classroom door. All was quiet and everyone seemed to be busy reading while Miss Bustier was writing something on the board.

Seizing her opportunity, Marinette slowly opened the door and squeezed through. Only Nino and Alya looked up upon her entering the classroom. Nino soon looked down again though, while Alya smirked and shook her head incredulously. Marinette smiled awkwardly at her best friend as she tip-toed inside the classroom, quietly closing the door behind her and making her way to her seat. No one else seemed to notice and Marinette relaxed, happy that she had made it without getting into trouble. She rummaged through her bag and brought out the books and pens she needed for class and folded her arms in front of her on her desk.

Now that she was settled, Marinette soon became incredibly aware of just how tired she was. After not getting a decent amount of sleep these past two days, it was starting to take its toll. Her eyes felt heavy like they were made of lead, weighing her eyelids down and forcing them to close. Marinette fought back as best as she could and luckily, Alya whispering to her soon gave Marinette enough of a distraction to keep herself awake.

"Sleep in again?" Alya chuckled.

"Yeah, something like that." Marinette replied.

Alya paused for a moment. "What's that on your hand? Did you draw over your burn or something?"

Marinette followed Alya's line of sight and her eyes widened when she caught sight of the mark that was slightly visible on the back of her hand that was partially hidden by her arm. Marinette squealed which caused Alya to look at her weird and the rest of the class to turn around and face her. Some people in class looked at her strangely while others began chuckling. Miss Bustier also turned around with wide eyes, before they narrowed when they caught sight of Marinette. Smiling and chuckling awkwardly, Marinette did her best to subtly roll the sleeve of her jacket down and hide her mark as best as she could.

"Marinette!" Miss Bustier scolded. "Not only are you late again, but you have disrupted my class. This behaviour cannot continue, Marinette. Go to the principal's office, now."

Turning bright red in embarrassment, Marinette sighed and began packing her things away again. Alya shot her a sympathetic look, but Marinette couldn't bring herself to respond. The last thing she felt like dealing with right now was seeing Mr. Damocles and the potential trouble that was going to get her into. She had just wanted a quiet, normal day at school and then return home to find her room empty and then this whole weird thing could be forgotten about.

Her face growing even more hot, Marinette did the walk of shame down the steps and towards the entrance to the classroom. She could feel everybody's eyes on the back of her head and she cringed when she heard the cackles of Chloé and Sabrina.

"Never mind the principal's office, that girl needs to be sent to a psyche ward." Chloé sneered before erupting into laughter again.

Marinette turned around to glare at her. "Shut up, Chloé!"

"Marinette, principal's office, now." Miss Bustier repeated her punishment more harshly this time.

"But –" Marinette tried to protest.

"No buts, Marinette." Miss Bustier ordered before turning back to continue writing things on the board.

Marinette growled to herself, but did as she was told and left the classroom, knowing that Chloé and Sabrina would likely be laughing at this for a while. Just when she thought her day couldn't get any worse. For simply telling her to shut up, Chloé was now likely going to make the rest of the day hell for Marinette. Marinette shuddered at the thought. She would have to try her best to try and stay out of Chloé's way for the rest of the day. The blonde bully had been making Marinette's life a living nightmare at school since they were young children.

The principal's office was only a short distance away from Miss Bustier's class. In the open hall next to the courtyard, Marinette could hear the deep rumbles of thunder from an approaching storm. Everything was growing dark and Marinette sighed, wondering if her day could possibly get any worse. A few spots of rain were beginning to stain the courtyard and a light breeze blew through Marinette's hair as she reached the door to Mr. Damocles' office.

Staring at the wooden door for a moment, Marinette bowed her head sadly, knowing it was best not to prolong the inevitable. She reached a hand up and knocked on the door twice, and Mr Damocles immediately responded by inviting her inside. Marinette slowly pushed the door open and slid inside, feeling like a small child.

"Ah, Miss Dupain-Cheng. No need to ask why you're here again," Mr. Damocles stated, narrowing his eyes slightly, "You were late to class again, weren't you?"

Marinette bit her lip before speaking. "Yes, sir." She kept her head down, hoping that this would just be quickly over with and that she could go back to class and get this day over with.

Mr Damocles sighed, "I don't understand, Marinette. You only live across the road. So why were you late today?"

 _Because I woke up to find a demon in my room. Oh yeah, and it turns out I'd accidentally sold my soul to him and he wants to sell his to me,_ Marinette thought to herself bitterly. That was a good way to get herself locked up in a psychiatric unit like Chloé had joked about earlier. Maybe that was where she belonged. After all, Marinette was the one seeing demons in her room. Marinette's heart rate began to pick up just at the thought of him. Even in her memories and imagination, his green cat-like eyes still burned holes into her with their fiery and possessive intensity. There was something else in his eyes too. Emotions that Marinette couldn't quite pin-point.

Immediately, Marinette banished those thoughts from her head. She was supposed to be forgetting about what happened. What if her constantly thinking about demons was what was causing her tired mind to conjure up these hallucinations? But then…how did that explain Alya seeing the mark on the back of her hand?

"I slept through my alarm, sir," Marinette lied.

"Well then I suggest you invest in as better alarm," Mr. Damocles recommended in a strict tone, "You've left me no choice miss Dupain-Cheng; I'm going to have to call your parents."

Marinette tried to hold back her sigh of relief. She was so paranoid that she would end up getting a detention. Her parents won't be too happy with her, but it still beat getting an after school detention. At least this way, Marinette could head straight home and collapse into bed and get some sleep. Providing that a certain creature had vacated her room while she was gone. She really hoped that he _was_ gone by now.

"Yes, sir." Marinette pretended to sound disappointed as she finally looked up.

A bright bolt of lightening illuminated the room from the large window behind Mr. Damocles. However, that wasn't what caught her attention. What caught her attention was the tall dark figure she could have sworn she saw lurking outside the window, blocking out the immense light of the lightning. As quickly as Marinette had managed to catch sight of it, the figure vanished. Before she could stop herself, Marinette let out a yelp, before her wide eyes met Mr. Damocles'.

"Goodness gracious girl, what is it?" Mr. Damocles demanded, standing up from his chair and gazing at Marinette with a mixture of annoyance, shock and concern.

Marinette continued to stare out of the window with wide eyes. "I…I could have sworn I just saw someone standing outside the window."

Mr. Damocles narrowed his eyes at her. "But we're on the second floor."

That only scared Marinette even more. "I-I know. But there really was someone there!"

Mr Damocles turned and moved towards the window, peering out as best as he could. The rain was now pounding against the window, creating thick streaks of water that made it almost impossible to see out of. The thunder rumbled loudly above them, sending small vibrations throughout the whole building. Every now and then, a flash of lightening would brightly light up the room, but the figure never returned. Could…could it be? Marinette didn't even want to think about it. Maybe the figure had just been a figment of her imagination?

"Must have just been a trick of the light," Mr. Damocles suggested.

Or that. That was a good explanation, Marinette thought to herself, sighing in relief. However, she still couldn't shake off the feeling of uneasiness that only felt like it was growing stronger. She once again imagined Chat Noir's eyes boring into her, piercing her vulnerable flesh like sharp knives. It sent a violent shudder up her spine and caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end. No matter what, she just couldn't seem to shake off the sudden feelings of paranoia. What if he was coming for her? Oh no…she had shouted at him before she left. What if she had made him mad? Now he was coming to get her and do who knows what to her.

Marinette forced herself to take a deep calming breath, watching as Mr. Damocles sat back down at his desk and began typing on his computer. Marinette clasped her hands behind her back and shifted her weight to the side awkwardly. She made sure not to look over at the window. It felt like there was still something over there and Marinette didn't want to look over and find out if her gut feeling was correct. Marinette shivered and nearly yelped again when Mr. Damocles spoke.

"You best get back to class now. Try to improve your punctuality miss Dupain-Cheng."

"Yes, sir," Marinette replied, unable to get out of the office fast enough.

As soon as the office door closed behind her on her way out, Marinette collapsed slightly, bending down to grip her knees as she tried to control her erratic breathing. Each breath came out as a pant as it felt like her lungs had suddenly halved in size and her throat was closing in on itself. Marinette was so glad to finally be out of that room. The air in there had been beginning to feel cold and heavy, and the paranoia had been beginning to eat away at her like a ravenous piranha in a river she was slowly drowning in. She just couldn't seem to get Chat Noir out of her head. No matter what she did, he kept invading her mind. It was like he was a parasite that had made its way into her brain, controlling her thoughts and keeping them on him all the time. At this rate, Marinette knew it wouldn't be long before she went completely mad.

Unable to calm down much, Marinette began making her way back to class. All Marinette could hear was the pouring rain and her heart which was beating erratically in her chest. The air still felt cold and heavy and it pressed down on Marinette, further fuelling her paranoia. The walk back to the classroom felt like it was taking an eternity. Like each step she was taking was in slow motion, as if she was trying to walk underwater.

The sound of a chair scraping by the principal's office behind Marinette nearly made her scream loudly if she hadn't managed to clamp a hand over her mouth in time. She froze in place, too terrified to move. The scrape of the chair still echoed in her mind. As far as she knew, she had been alone in the hallway. The hallway was so quiet that it caused Marinette's ears to begin ringing. There was nothing else. No footsteps. No sound of breathing. No movement at all.

Despite not wanting to, Marinette knew that she had to turn around and look. Hoping to catch whoever it was off guard if this was some sort of prank, Marinette whipped her head around to see nothing behind her. The chair had moved slightly, almost as if someone had knocked it out of place. It was slightly wonky compared to the other two seats that were pushed against the wall outside the principal's office. Marinette clenched her teeth together and continued staring at the chair with wide eyes. There was no one around. There was nowhere anyone could even run to if this was part of a prank. Marinette would have seen or heard them.

Internally freaking out, Marinette turned back around and began walking much quicker towards her class. As Marinette grew closer, the lights above her flickered slightly, causing Marinette to yelp, her heart leaping into her throat and her stomach dropping down to her feet as she began sprinting down the corridor. The lights kept flickering, seemingly only growing worse as Marinette ran. Slamming into the door, Marinette yanked it open and collapsed inside the classroom, tripping over the threshold and falling to the floor.

The whole class was stunned into silence by her entrance before they burst into roars of laughter. Marinette didn't dare lift her head up from the floor, not wanting to see everyone staring and laughing at her. Maybe if she lay here pretending to be dead, Miss Bustier would carry her out of the classroom and then she would never have to face anyone, especially Chloé, whose snooty laugh stood out from the rest of them. Though Marinette felt like she soon won't just be pretending, as it felt like at any moment, she would die of embarrassment. Had she really just freaked out and ran because of a chair that could have easily been caught by the stormy winds and because of dodgy electrics? Maybe death would be a sweet release from her shame.

"Marinette, what on earth are you doing?" Miss Bustier exclaimed, running over to help pull Marinette up.

Marinette sighed and got to her feet, slowly extracting her arm from Miss Bustier's grip. She dusted herself off as best she could as the laughter of the class began to die down. Marinette managed to capture of glimpse of Alya out of the corner of her eye who appeared to be cringing for her friend, burying her face in her hands and shaking her head. Though Marinette couldn't help but feel that this was partially Alya's fault. She had forced Marinette to watch that horror movie and aided in pressuring her to use the Ouija board. Now Marinette was going hysterical as a result.

"Did you not see her running down the corridor like a scared little baby?" Chloé sniggered.

Glaring at Chloé, Marinette was soon ushered back to her seat by her teacher who luckily had decided to say no more on what happened. A few people in class continued to chuckle at her, and as soon as Marinette sat back down, she buried her head in her arms, this time making sure her mark was completely covered. Alya gave her a gentle and comforting pat on the back, but Marinette refused to come out of her hiding place. She counted down the minutes until the day was over. It was like Marinette was the princess of disaster or something. Everywhere she went, she seemed to bring nothing but bad luck and destruction.

Marinette wasn't really paying attention to what was going on in class, but it seemed like miss Bustier was giving them some sort of art project to do related to the book they were reading. Turning her head slightly to face Alya, Marinette was vaguely aware of paper and paints being placed in front of her. Her eyes were beginning to feel dry and heavy again to the point where Marinette was too paranoid to even blink through fear of falling asleep. The many adrenaline rushes she had been having lately certainly weren't helping; they were exhausting her. Maybe getting on with some painting might help calm her down and keep her awake.

Sitting up at last, Marinette picked up her paintbrush and faced forward to see two green, cat-like eyes staring back at her. The sight caused Marinette to freeze instantly, gripping her paintbrush tightly in her hand while all she could do was stare back in shock and fear. She couldn't scream. She couldn't move. She didn't dare do either or those things. She became trapped in his stare.

Sat in a cat-like position on the empty desk in front of her next to Nino, was Chat Noir. He simply stared back at her, a wide smirk on his face as he did so. Heart thudding in her chest, Marinette managed to force her eyes off of him to do a quick sweep around the classroom, looking at everyone else's reactions. No one seemed phased. In fact, it was almost as if Chat Noir wasn't there at all.

Marinette blinked and looked back to see that he was still there, staring at her as intensely as ever. Was this really all some sort of hallucination? Or was Chat Noir just invisible to everyone apart from her? None of this was making any sense. The mixture of confusion and fear was beginning to make her feel dizzy. A bright flash of lightning lit up the entire room in blinding white light, yet Chat Noir remained, barely reacting to the lightening whereas everyone else in the room seemed to jump slightly. The thunder above them was almost deafening

Grinning from ear to ear, Chat Noir leaned forward and stretched so that his legs remained on the desk in front of her, while his hands reached to lean against her own desk. He leaned forward again, his face almost inches from hers, looking incredibly amused at Marinette's frozen state. He leaned so close to her, that Marinette could see her own reflection in his hypnotic eyes.

"Miss me, princess?" He purred.

The sound of his voice snapped Marinette out of her terrified state. Now she was just angry. She had told him not to follow her. Was this how it was going to be for the rest of her life? All because of a stupid accident? Was she destined to have this demon stalking her until the end of her days? Was any of this even real?

Letting her anger get the better of her, Marinette grabbed her book off her desk and swatted at him. The book just went right through him and Chat Noir vanished into a dark mist, his sinister chuckle echoing all around her. Was no one else seeing this?! Marinette turned to look at Alya who was completely oblivious, concentrating on her work. Chat Noir's sinister chuckle sounded again, only this time it sounded like it was coming from right next to her. She looked to her right to see Chat Noir stood next to her, towering over her. His smirk was still on his face, though the humour appeared to be slowly disappearing from his eyes.

"Aww, I come all this way to see if you're okay and this is how you greet me?" Chat Noir exclaiming, clutching his hands to his chest.

Marinette narrowed her eyes at him. He had done this on purpose and she knew it. The thought almost broke Marinette and made her burst into tears there and then. Was this her life now? Was this her forever? To be permanently tormented by this demon? A demon who seemed hell bent on making her life as scary and miserable as possible. A demon who had some sort of bizarre obsession with her. Marinette still wondered if this was a case of mistaken identity. After all, he had previously kept referring to her as some sort of ladybug. Whatever that meant.

However, Marinette was soon brought out of her thoughts by the feeling of a leather finger stroking her cheek. Marinette cringed and slapped his hand away as subtly as she could. She angrily turned away, refusing to look at him. Just glancing at him caused her whole body to begin shaking with fear. He was so intimidating to look at and it was unbearable. He looked so human, but not human at the same time. The sight of him reminded her of her stupidity. Of the consequences of that stupidity. Not to mention the hungry look in his eyes when he stared at her only creeped her out even more. Why was he so obsessed with her?! Why couldn't he go stalk some other girl, not that Marinette would wish this fate on anyone else, but just…why her?!

"Hey, are you okay?" Alya asked, confused.

"Oh – errr – yeah, it was just a fly that wouldn't leave me alone," Marinette laughed awkwardly.

"Okay then," Alya replied, still sounding confused, before she got back on with her work.

Marinette then cringed as Chat Noir began running his fingers through one of her ponytails, but otherwise, decided for the sake of looking sane, she couldn't risk swatting at him again. She couldn't exactly yell at him like she wanted to either, otherwise she'd look insane. Not to mention, she might provoke Chat Noir. He claimed to love her, but that didn't mean he was incapable of hurting or killing her if the mood took him. He was a demon and she was a human. He wasn't to be trusted. Especially seen as he had possession of her soul. He could do anything to her.

So Marinette remained perfectly still, pressing her lips into a tight thin line as she tried to prevent herself from running and screaming like she so desperately wanted. Why couldn't he just go away and leave her alone? The feeling of his warm fingers in her hair was making her shiver, though Marinette tried to hide it. She gripped the sleeves of her jacket with her fingers, still hiding the mark on the back of her hand from view.

It seemed that Chat Noir noticed that too as he growled and gripped her hair slightly tighter. It didn't hurt, but Marinette was worried that was what it was going to lead to. Was he going to drag her across the room like what she had seen in that horror movie two nights ago now? However, to her surprise, he let go and sighed, but there was still a deep growl rumbling in his chest next to her head.

"Why are you not acknowledging me?" Chat Noir demanded in frustration.

Marinette frowned before tearing a small piece of paper from the corner of her work and pulled out a pen. She quickly wrote down that she didn't want to look crazy and slid the piece of paper towards Chat Noir. Could he even read? Marinette wasn't sure, but it was worth a try. Luckily, he didn't pick it up, much to Marinette's relief, as a floating piece of paper would likely cause the whole class to freak out. Instead, Chat Noir leaned down over her shoulder, seemingly always making sure to be in as close proximity with Marinette as possible. Marinette leaned away slightly, holding her breath as his scent was beginning to make her feel dizzy. Weirdly, he smelt… _incredible_. Marinette had always thought that demons were supposed to be ugly and smell bad, but Chat Noir was the complete opposite of those things.

At those weird thoughts, Marinette shook her head. Why was she thinking such things? Though it would make sense that it was all part of a demon's charm to lure potential victims in. Thankfully, Chat Noir soon leaned back again slightly, just enough so that Marinette could breathe again. She exhaled at last, his ironically heavenly scent still swimming around inside her head and drowning her.

"Who cares what other people think," Chat Noir snapped, starting to sound like a spoiled brat.

Marinette glared up at him and Chat Noir glared back, though Marinette refused to show that she was intimidated by him. Instead, she held her ground and was about to turn back around and get on with her work when Chloé's laughter caught her attention.

"What are you glaring at, Marinette?" Chloé teased, "Has your imaginary friend got some better taste and ditched you?"

Chloé and Sabrina burst into fits of laughter. Marinette squeezed her paintbrush so hard in anger that it felt like the brittle plastic might snap at any moment. However, she was soon snapped out of angry state by the sound of Chat Noir growling next to her.

"Nobody insults my princess," She could have swore she heard him growl under his breath.

Marinette then gasped as Chat Noir grabbed hold of the cup of water on the desk that Marinette and Alya were using for their paint. To try and stop him and to try and prevent people from freaking out over a hovering cup of water, Marinette grabbed hold of Chat Noir's hand and tried to pry it off the cup. But he was much too strong. Marinette could barely get his fingers to move an inch. Remaining determined, Marinette clung on, though Chat Noir didn't seem to care. Marinette was practically dragged out of her seat by Chat Noir as he lifted his arm and marched the one step down towards Chloé's desk. Her back was turned and she was still busy laughing with Sabrina.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion. Marinette's breath got caught in her throat and her eyes widened, still fighting against Chat Noir's grip as he smirked, winked at her, and then tilted the cup slowly. Murky paint water cascaded out from the cup and down towards the top of Chloé's head. The splashing sound it made echoed throughout Marinette's mind.

Chloé screamed and gasped for air as water poured down her face from the top of her head. She began coughing as she accidentally inhaled some of it and the entire classroom fell silent, turning to look and see what all the commotion was. Marinette froze again, unable to comprehend what had just happened. She stared down at Chloé with wide eyes before turning her gaze towards Chat Noir who had now let go of the cup.

The cat demon smirked and winked at her before vanishing completely. Gasping, Marinette then looked at the cup again, realising that to everyone else, it looked like Marinette was the one responsible. To everyone else, Marinette had walked down with the cup of water and had poured it on top of Chloé's head.

A shocked, angry and soaking wet Chloé turned around to glare menacingly at Marinette.

"You!" She screamed. "You've just ruined my favourite outfit and my…MY HAIR!"

Marinette hid the cup behind her back without thinking as Sabrina began to grab some tissues from her bag to help Chloé clean herself up.

A few people in the class cheered Marinette on.

"Way to go, girl!" Alya praised.

"Enough, everyone," Miss Bustier ordered the class before turning to a terrified Marinette, "Marinette, I'd like a word with you outside."

"I'll get you for this." Chloé threatened darkly as Marinette was lead out of class by Miss Bustier.

Marinette clenched her fist around the plastic cup, scrunching it up in the process before dropping it as she mentally cursed Chat Noir. Not only did he effectively trick her into selling her soul to him, but he proclaims undying love for her, stalks her in school and now gets her into huge trouble with her classmates and teachers. And this was only day one out of eternity. That thought made Marinette instantly miserable.

Once they were alone outside the classroom, Miss Bustier finally spoke.

"What's gotten into you today, Marinette?" She asked, sounding firm, but also concerned.

Marinette simply shrugged not trusting her own voice. Right now all Marinette wanted to do was curl up in a corner somewhere and cry. Cry until she could cry no more. A demon was stalking her and there was nothing she could do about it. Stalking her and making her life a misery. He hadn't even explained things to her properly and barely knew her, yet he seemed obsessed with her. The way he looked at her was terrifying. And the way he invaded her personal space as if they had been lovers for thousands of years was even more unsettling.

"Marinette, if something is bugging you, you know you can talk to me, right?" Miss Bustier reassured her.

Marinette sighed. "It's just…Chloé," She growled her name, "She just knows how to push my buttons."

"That's because you let her," Miss Bustier tried to comfort her, "You need to fight bullies with kindness."

Marinette huffed, but otherwise said nothing. To be honest, Chloé was the last thing she cared about right now. All she could think about right now was Chat Noir and the implications of their accidental deal. The thoughts were beginning to churn her stomach. What was he going to do with her? Her soul was his, so what did that mean? He still hadn't explained things properly to her. And what was all the hysterical nonsense of him wanting her to take _his_ soul? Demons didn't have souls…did they?

Dizziness began to overwhelm Marinette, the room around her beginning to spin and tilt to one side as her stomach continued to tie itself into painful knots in her abdomen. Marinette clutched her stomach and groaned slightly. She fought back the tears that threatened to burst free from her eyes and betray her emotions. Unfortunately, Marinette didn't have the luxury of breaking down right now.

"Marinette, are you alright?" Miss Bustier asked, concerned.

"Y-yeah," Marinette lied, "Though I'm starting to not feel too well. Do you mind if I use the bathroom?"

"Of course," Miss Bustier agreed, allowing Marinette to pass her.

Marinette stumbled down the corridor towards the girls' bathroom. Thunder continued to echo above her, though it became even more muffled when Marinette finally made it into the bathroom. Luckily, it was deserted and Marinette collapsed all of her weight onto her hands as she leaned against one of the sinks. She finally managed to bring herself to look in the mirror and honestly wasn't surprised to see that her skin was pale, and that a thin layer of sweat was beginning to coat her skin. All of this fear, terror, anger and uncertainty was eating away at her.

Running the cold water, Marinette splashed her face in the hopes of making herself feel better before she caught sight of the mark on the back of her hand. She glared down at it and twisted and turned her hand in different directions to look at it from multiple angles. Just looking at it made her feel sick. How could he do this to her? Surely there had to be a way to remove it. If she removed the mark, would that break the deal? Would she be free?

Despite it not working last time, Marinette began scrubbing the back of her hand again with soap and water. She clenched her teeth and growled as it showed no signs of coming off. She scrubbed until her skin was red raw again. Rubbing the mark as hard as she could, Marinette jumped and gasped when she felt a warm chin rest on her shoulder before his sinister voice purred into her ear.

"And just what do you think you're doing, my princess?"

* * *

 **Phew! I'm glad to finally have this chapter written. I'm still not completely happy with it, but after five re-writes, I think this is the best I can get it. Just a little warning just in case, but my updating may be all over the place next week as I have a busy week. I have job interviews and not to mention I'll be graduating university on Thursday eeeeek! I'm so nervous. Personal freak outs aside, feel free to let me know what you think in a review. It's always a huge help to me if you do. See you soon!**

 **P.S. To answer some of your questions and suggestions: yes, Chat Noir will be making appearances as Adrien in this story *wink wink***


	6. A Demon's Mark

**Phew, sorry this update took so long. I ended up all over the place with everything and needed to try and get back on track as I'm now planning to try and update this story every Wednesday. Not to mention I had a lot going on, including graduating university which was an awesome but terrifying experience. I think I've finally managed to shake off the majority of writers block with this story. No clue why I got it. I know exactly what I'm doing with this story and where the plot is going, but I just couldn't make myself write it. It was weird.**

 **Anyway, thank you so much for all of your awesome reviews! I love feedback and it's always amazing to get it. I'm so glad to see that so many people are enjoying this story so far. It means a lot to me. Also, this story just hit 100 favourites! Thank you so much!**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: A Demon's Mark**

At the sound of his voice in her ear, it was like the whole room suddenly froze over into a block of ice. Marinette was trapped inside the glacier, unable to move even an inch, her whole body shivering internally as the cold maintained its icy grip around her. She couldn't even breathe. But underneath all the freezing cold ice, the back of her hand burned. The warmth of Chat Noir's face as he leaned his chin on her shoulder radiated against her face. It incinerated the flesh of her cheek, like a flame licking her skin and Marinette found herself twitching slightly in response. His presence made the room feel so cold, yet he felt so warm.

As much as Marinette wanted to continue to deny everything to make herself feel better, she knew by now that the situation she was in was very much real. As real as the demon currently leaning against her. Marinette's heart rate instantly shot up in her chest as a result of that thought. Her whole chest twitched as it thudded hard against her ribs. A lump formed in her throat which she struggled to swallow back, rendering her unable to speak. She knew Chat Noir was waiting for a response and he was probably enjoying every minute of her terrified silence. He was probably feeding off her fear. Gorging himself at her expense, leaving Marinette feeling like she might go into a cardiac arrest. There was no way that constant adrenaline rushes and constantly having your heart trying to hammer its way out of your chest could possibly be healthy. Was this what he wanted? Was she just some toy for him to play with? She'd heard stories of people dying from fear, but was it really possible? It seemed like Chat Noir was trying to put that theory to the test with her.

Marinette finally took a deep shaky breath, making a small squeaking and whimpering sound as she did so, like a small mouse being stepped on. The back of her hand continued to burn and pulsate, but Marinette couldn't bring her blue eyes to look away from the tiled, bathroom walls in front of her. She could just about see their reflections in the mirror out of the corner of her eyes. His warm breath tickled the bare skin of her neck, reminding Marinette that Chat Noir was very much real and that he was still waiting for a response.

But words still failed Marinette. She didn't even quite know what she was doing herself. Fear had completely possessed her. She was beyond exhausted and just wanted a way out from all of this. The demon had barely been following her around for a day and already she couldn't stand his torment. He had made a fool of her in front of her entire class. People most likely thought she was crazy. Not to mention Chloé would be out for her blood for the rest of the day. It was all Chat Noir's fault.

Anger replaced fear and Marinette finally looked down at the mark on the back of her hand. It was still there, though Marinette wasn't even surprised at this point. If anything the mark was now more prominent than ever. The skin around the mark was bright red from her vicious scrubbing while the mark remained pitched black, forever staining her skin like a tattoo. How was she going to hide this for the rest of her life? If anyone spotted it, they would think that she's joined a cult or stupidly got a tattoo underage. She was sixteen, sure, but her parents knew that neither of them had gone with her to get one. What then? Would they force her to have laser surgery to remove it? How would people then react if that didn't work, because Marinette had a feeling that even a laser wouldn't able to get rid of it.

Marinette clenched her teeth together and squeezed her eyes tightly shut. Why her?! This wasn't fair! Why had Chat Noir chosen to torment her? Was this some sort of divine punishment? Marinette wasn't really religious and was so sure that up until now, demons weren't real. She had always tried her best to be a good person, so what was this punishment for? Had she done something terrible and not realised it? Marinette wasn't perfect, but then again, who was? She could think of people far more deserving of this torment. Naturally, the first person her mind jumped to was Chloé.

Finally snapping, Marinette broke out of her frozen state and quickly whipped around, taking Chat Noir by surprise. She pushed him off her, though he probably let her seen as other times she had thought against him, she might as well have been trying to shift a brick wall. He took a step back and a smirk was no longer on his face as he looked down at her with a slightly more hostile facial expression. His green eyes narrowed slightly, refusing to take any further steps away from her, keeping Marinette in arm's reach which just antagonised her even more.

"What I'm doing is none of your business," Marinette snapped, narrowing her eyes at him in return, trying to show that she was no longer afraid of him. Despite her anger and bravado though, deep down, she was still incredibly terrified of him. He could probably kill her with the simple flick of his wrist. He was a demon after all and Marinette had no idea how powerful he was.

"It is my business if you think you can remove my mark," Chat Noir responded flatly, his facial expression still dark.

"I don't want it! I want it gone! I don't want anything to do with this demon stuff!" Marinette cried out.

A match seemed to light behind Chat Noir's eyes before eyes set ablaze with anger. The lights began to flicker slightly making Marinette flinch, though she did her best to ignore it and still appear unintimidated by him.

"Then why did you make the deal in the first place?" Chat Noir growled out through clenched teeth.

"I told you it was an accident! Just a stupid joke! Why would I want to give my soul to a demon like you?!"

Chat Noir flinched back and he immediately looked down and away from Marinette. His body, previously rigid with anger and annoyance, suddenly relaxed and drooped. Chat Noir wrapped his arms loosely around his stomach as if somebody had just punched him there, while Marinette looked on in confusion. She'd hurt his feelings, that fact seemed pretty clear. But how? Why? Why would her giving up her soul matter so much to a demon?

Marinette remembered back to last night when she had first met him. He kept calling her by another name. He had claimed to be in love with her and that he always had been. But then, his entire demeanour changed when Marinette had claimed not to know what he was talking about. He seemed angry. Like Marinette, Chat Noir had seemed to think that she was joking around; playing with him or punishing him. But once again, once Marinette's innocence became clear, he had opted to flirt with her instead and stalk her, tormenting her at school and scaring her to death all the time. His behaviour wasn't making any sense at all. He wasn't behaving in a way that Marinette would expect a demon to behave. Especially for a demon that had just made claim to her soul.

"Joke or not," Chat Noir said less menacingly this time, though he still sounded angry and hurt, "You made the deal and now you're stuck with me. Whether you like it or not. I'm not going anywhere La – Marinette."

Marinette frowned as she managed to catch that quick correction Chat Noir made. "There you go again."

"What?" Chat Noir frowned back, though he quickly looked away, seemingly unable to look her in the eye for some reason.

"Calling me this _Ladybug_ , or whatever." Marinette raised her eyebrow suspiciously. "Who is she? Why do you keep calling me by her name? Is this just some case of mistaken identity?"

"No, I know who you are." Chat's eye twitched.

"Then why do you keep calling me by this person's name? And what kind of a name is Ladybug anyway? Please don't let this be a case of mistaken identity. You were after someone else, weren't you?" Marinette began pulling at her hair in panic. "And you thought I was them and now you've got the soul of the wrong person."

Chat Noir hissed, "No, I haven't. It was your soul I wanted. This isn't a case of mistaken identity. I've been watching you and following you around for a while so I know for definite."

"But why?" Marinette cried out desperately before she looked down at her feet sadly, "There's nothing special about me."

Marinette then gasped slightly, startled as she felt a long leather finger reach under her chin and pull her face back to look up at Chat Noir. She shivered at his touch, though for some reason, she couldn't bring himself to shake him off her. She remained as still as a statue, confused by what was happening and hypnotised by his inhuman green eyes. A tingle ran up Marinette's spine as she was forced to look him in the eye, completely entranced by them. Despite his eyes not being human, despite how scary and intense they were, they also looked…warm…and kind. Emotions and characteristics that Marinette never expected to see in the eyes of a demon. It startled her and kept her frozen in place, longing to know more and to try and understand the strange creature in front of her.

There was another intense emotion mixed in with the cocktail in his eyes that Marinette couldn't quite place. But whatever it was, it was incredibly intense and nerve wrecking that it sent another shiver up Marinette's spin. Her stomach did summersaults in her abdomen, making her knees feel slightly weak. Though Marinette didn't know why. Her mind seemed to go completely blank the longer she stared into his eyes. It was like he had invaded her mind and erased everything that was inside, leaving her with nothing but the images of him in front of her, his eyes boring into her as he began to smirk once again. However, this smirk was less playful than his typical ones and seemed more triumphant. He looked at her like he had just solved the theory of everything. Like he had discovered water in the middle of an endless desert. Like he had discovered the meaning of life. Like he had found the secret to immortality.

It was slightly unsettling, though Marinette found herself unable to look away. Her blank, mess of a mind was unable to fully comprehend and figure out what was going on inside of Chat Noir's head right now. She could feel her back painfully digging into the edge of the sink behind her as she subconsciously tried to back away from him. She was cornered. Her heart kept beating rapidly in her chest, though it seemed to be down to more than just fear this time. Chat Noir's eyes became slightly hooded as he continued to stare down at her intensely, his thumb gently stroking her cheek as he continued to keep a tight grip on it.

"Don't talk like that," Chat Noir whispered huskily down to her, his grin turning slightly more playful again, "You're pawsitively purrfect. You are extremely special and you should never put yourself down like that, do you hear me? You're the most wonderful person I have ever met."

Marinette was stunned by his words, but soon found herself melting. Her cheeks began turning slightly pink and she was at a loss for words as her throat closed up over how emotional Chat Noir had sounded when he said those words. It was if her hurtful words towards herself hurt him as well. But why? Why did he think of her like that? Was it some sort of trick? Was he lying to her? If he was, then he was a very good liar. Those words he spoke could not have sounded more heartfelt. Why was he saying such nice things to her? None of this still wasn't making any sense.

Lost in touched and confusing thoughts, Marinette barely noticed that Chat Noir had begun leaning slowly down towards her. When she finally did noticed, her mind went blank again and she froze in confusion as she began to frown slightly. Chat Noir's eyes closed and he tilted his head, his lips mere inches away from her own and that's when Marinette's brain decided to finally wake up again and go into overdrive. Was…was he…about to…?

Marinette gasped before squealing and immediately jumped out of the way. She pushed herself off the sink to propel herself to the other side of the bathroom, easily managing to shake off the unsuspecting Chat Noir as he eyes flew back open again. He blinked and turned around to glare at Marinette, his eyes sulking as he folded his arms across his chest. Marinette placed a hand on her chest in a futile attempt to calm her racing heart as she panted slightly in shock over what had just happened. Had…had he been about to kiss her? No…surely not…but…wasn't that exactly what he had done to her the night she first met him? Her tired memories were slightly hazy, though she shuddered and cringed as she remember the feeling of his warm lips pressed against her own before she felt them peppering kisses on her cheek and down her neck to her shoulder.

Cringing in fear and disgust, Marinette instantly banished those memories from her mind and stood up straight, once again trying to show Chat Noir that she was unaffected by his presence, though his sudden smug smile indicted that he wasn't buying her façade. Marinette mentally slapped herself for trying too hard to act tough, but it was too late now so she decided to roll with it. She was sick of herself allowing Chat Noir to play these games with her. She wanted answers and she wanted them now.

"Okay, enough stupid games!" Marinette announced her thoughts.

Chat Noir merely blinked at her in confusion.

"I want answers!"

Chat Noir frowned. "Answers about what?" He replied stubbornly, though Marinette could easily tell that he knew exactly what she was talking about. He was just being purposefully evasive. Why he was doing this, Marinette didn't know. Was he still just messing with her and purposefully making her feel frustrated and confused? Or was his hiding something from her? But why would he want to hide something from her though? They had only just met and what would be the point of hiding something from her? If she was now chained to this demon for all eternity, surely that would entail that it would be almost impossible to keep secrets from each other. One thing was for sure though. Marinette wasn't going to give up until she got some answers out of him.

"For starters," Marinette began, "Who's Ladybug?"

Chat Noir remained silent. All traces of playfulness had completely disappeared from his face. He was more serious than Marinette had ever seen him. He looked borderline angry as he glared back at Marinette, seeming to wince slightly at the mention of this Ladybug's name. He swallowed, but still said nothing, and Marinette found herself growing even more impatient and frustrated.

"And you do you keep calling me Ladybug? I'm assuming that she is a person," Marinette continued to press.

Finally, Chat Noir took a deep breath and responded, "It doesn't matter."

"It clearly does if you keep getting so worked up about it and can't seem to talk to me about it." Marinette raised an eyebrow at him suspiciously, smirking when she realised she had caught him. Chat Noir's frown deepened and his face turned thunderous. It scared Marinette to death, but she held her ground. She refused to show any sign of fear. She resisted the urge to tremble under the fire of his furious gaze. Frightened tears formed in her eyes, but Marinette held them back.

"I said it doesn't matter," Chat Noir growled out through clenched teeth before his eyes turned slightly melancholic, "It's an old name, long forgotten now, so there's no point in discussing this further."

"Hey!" Marinette protested, "Seen as I'm apparently supposed to be chained to you for all eternity, I think I at least deserve some answers on just what I have gotten myself into."

Chat Noir thought for a moment as he narrowed his eyes at her. Marinette stood her ground, thought she couldn't help but stare back at him curiously. Just what was he hiding from her? Why couldn't he talk about? Was it forbidden or something? There was something about this Ladybug that just seemed to set Chat Noir off and make him angry or sad. Who was this person to inspire such a powerful emotional reaction out of a demon? He seemed so defensive about the subject. Had this Ladybug hurt Chat Noir or something? And why did he think that she was Ladybug in the beginning? Why did he still accidentally slip and call her Ladybug now? Yet, despite that, he still claimed that he was sure he had the right person. Was Chat Noir just insane or something? Marinette's head began to hurt from all of the questions left unanswered and from all of the confusion. It was starting to make her feel dizzy.

Finally, Chat Noir spoke, "I'll tell you what you need to know and nothing more."

"What?" Marinette gasped before glaring at him, "That's not fair!"

Chat Noir merely folded his arms across his chest and shrugged. "Do you want some answers or not? That's my final offer, so take it or leave it."

Marinette huffed, but she knew there was no winning this. At least she would get some answers for now. She supposed that she could make do.

"Why do you keep calling me Ladybug?" Marinette narrowed her eyes.

Chat Noir grimaced before closing his eyes and leaning back casually against the sink. "Can't answer that. Next question."

Marinette growled, "But why though? Why can't you answer certain questions?"

"Because I don't want to."

Marinette felt like tearing her hair out as her face grew hot and red in frustration. Was that the whole reason why this whole time? Marinette had been expecting something much more dark or that it might be something to do with some sort of demon law that forbade him from discussing certain things. But instead it was because he just didn't feel like it? Uhhh, this demon was insufferable! Once again, he had been toying with her! This was probably all just some stupid game to him and Marinette was caught in the middle and was nothing more than an object to be used for entertainment. The thought disgusted and angered Marinette beyond belief.

"So, that's it?!" Marinette demanded, "This is nothing more than a game to you?!"

Chat Noir's eyes darted open and he looked slightly panicked by her response. He stood up straight again and waved his arms in front of him slightly in an effort to calm her down. "No no no, far from it!"

"Then why are you treating me like this?" Marinette could feel tears forming in the corner of her eyes, giving away her fragile emotional state, much to her chagrin. She furiously blinked away at her tears, but more of them kept forming in their place. She rubbed at the corner of her eye with her sleeve which briefly flashed the mark on the back of her hand. Marinette froze for a second when she caught sight of it. Her chest began to feel heavy and her eyes burned, longing to release the moisture building up in them, but Marinette refused to cry. She refused to look weak. It was probably exactly what he wanted.

"I…" Chat Noir stuttered, "I'm sorry…it's just…there are some things that are…impossible to explain. Things that you wouldn't understand. Things that _I_ don't even know. Things that I can't tell you right now. Maybe not until you're ready at least."

"I don't understand." Marinette sniffed.

"But I promise I'll try my best to explain everything else," Chat Noir vowed, looking like he longed to run over and embrace her, but for once, he kept his distance instead of invading her personal space. Marinette was grateful for that. She didn't understand why Chat Noir seemed to have a constant need to be near her or touching her in some way.

"Why me?" Marinette asked quietly.

"Huh?"

"Why are you so obsessed with me?!" Marinette spoke much louder this time, "Why are you making my life hell like this?"

Chat Noir shook his head before replying, "Marinette, I'm not here to make your life hell. I'm here to be there for you; stand as your protector. I'm not here to hurt you or to be a curse on life. I want nothing more than to help and be there for you. There's nothing I want more than to just be by your side. To mark you as mine to make sure that nothing happens to you aga –" Chat Noir quickly stopped himself from saying anymore.

"But why? You're a demon and demons are evil aren't they?" Marinette gasped.

"Not all demons are evil," Chat Noir sighed, "There's good ones…and there's bad ones."

"Are you a bad one?" Marinette timidly asked.

Chat Noir burst out laughing, causing Marinette to blush slightly.

"I try not to be," Chat Noir tried to answer through fits of chuckling, "But I can be bad if you want me to be." He winked at her.

Marinette's face burst into flames, feeling as hot as a roaring fire and turning blood red. She looked away awkwardly, feeling completely and utterly flustered, not knowing how to respond. Much to her annoyance, her response only made Chat Noir laugh even more and Marinette clenched her hands into fists as she waited for him to calm down. Thankfully, her face soon cooled down and Chat Noir stopped laughing, only chuckling every now and again as he waited for her to say something. So…not all demons were…evil? They had their own varied personalities just like humans did? It weirdly helped Marinette felt slightly better, but she then froze as a confusing thought crossed her mind. Why would a good demon want to do deals with mortals? More importantly, what would a good demon want with someone's soul? Surely, no good purposes could come out taking someone else's soul.

"But…if you're a good demon…why do you want my soul? And why mark me? Will it…will it ever come off?" Marinette glanced down at her mark before quickly looking away and back to Chat Noir. He was staring down at her mark sadly and seemed to be chewing on his lower lip as he tried to think of a response. Was this another question that he wasn't going to answer? Marinette really hoped not.

"As I explained before, that mark is a symbol that your soul belongs to me. It's a physically manifestation of the contract between us. Just like signing your name if you will. Someone and a demon make a deal, they get marked as a symbol of that contract. You sold me your soul, I marked you. As for what I want your soul for…well…I'm afraid that's another question I can't answer right now," Chat Noir explained.

Marinette looked down at her hand again and flexed her fingers, watching as the mark moved with her skin. The sight made her feel incredibly uncomfortable. However, while she was busy being morbidly fascinated with the mark on the back of her hand, Marinette didn't noticed that Chat Noir had begun stalking towards her again. Marinette gasped, startled when Chat Noir reached for her marked hand and laced his fingers between hers. He brought both of their hands up between them and Marinette backed up slightly at the sight of Chat Noir standing much too close for comfort in front of her. He didn't seem to notice, or if he had, he didn't care, as he was busy looking down at the mark on her hand, his green cat-like eyes full of pride as he did so.

"You're mine, Marinette," He purred, "For always and forever. Whether you like it or not, the deal has been made and there is no way to break it. The mark is permanent for the world to see that your soul belongs to me. This mark allows me to keep track of you, wherever you are in the world and maintains my power over you. If you want to summon me, all you have to do is rub the mark. The past few times you tried to wash it off, you summoned me." He grinned cockily at her and Marinette gasped at this new information. The strange shadow that had appeared behind her when she had tried to wash it off the first time…that was him. She had accidentally been summoning him. It looked like that would be something Marinette would have to watch out for then.

"But it works both ways," Chat Noir suddenly turned desperate, "Our deal was never finalised and it's only one sided for now. In exchanged for your soul, I promised you my own. You can take power over me too, all you have to do is just say the words. Say that you accept my soul in return."

"What?" Marinette gasped, blinking rapidly in shock, "Why would you want something like that? I don't understand?"

"I don't quite know how it will work considering you're mortal. Because your soul is pure and mortal and uncorrupted by essence, maybe it means you'll have more power over me, I don't know. I don't care! I'll be your slave, I'll do anything you want. Just please, finalise the deal! Say the words!" Chat Noir begged her, gripping her hand tightly with both of his own hands as he collapsed to his knees in front of her. His eyes glistened as he pleaded with her and stared at her intensely. There he went again. Why did he want this so bad? All Marinette could do was stare back, completely confused and speechless. The lights began to flicker above them again and they buzzed as power surged through them, scaring Marinette even more.

"I…I…can't" Marinette's stuttering was interrupted by the sound of the bathroom door squeaking open.

Marinette held her breath, terrified to look and see who it was or even move from the position she was in. Her stomach dropped and the lights above them stopped flickering as Chat Noir stared at the person in shock before abruptly standing up, letting go of Marinette's hand before he smirked at whoever it was that was currently behind Marinette. At least this person couldn't see Chat Noir, Marinette thought to herself reassuringly.

"My my, am I interrupting something?" Chloé sneered and Marinette cringed as she couldn't believe her rotten luck.

"I…I was just heading back to class," Marinette stuttered before turning around and plastering a huge, fake smile on her face. Chloé was stood by the door, still dripping wet from the water Chat Noir had poured all over her. Miss Bustier must have only just let her use to the bathroom to clean herself up, probably hoping that Marinette would get out of there first so that their paths didn't cross.

"Aren't you going to introduce me?" Chloé seemed to be struggling to contain laughter.

"To who?"

"To your freak of a boyfriend? Ewww, what are you doing hanging around inside the girl's bathroom? Just wait until I tell daddy about this. He'll get you expelled for sure, Marinette."

Marinette squeaked as she realised that Chloé was staring right at Chat Noir. What was going on? She could see him?! Why could she see Chat Noir all of a sudden?! However, Chat Noir didn't seem phased at all by the situation. He just smirked at Chloé and folded his arms across his chest, watching the whole situation with an amused expression.

Marinette then watched in horror as Chloé whipped out her phone and quickly took a picture of Chat Noir.

"Just wait until everyone sees what you and your freak of a boyfriend have been up to!" Chloé laughed loudly before taking off and running for the door.

"No, Chloé, wait!" Marinette begged, but it was too late. Chloé had already bolted out of the door and Marinette could hear her laughing down the corridor. No no no no! This was so bad! If no one caught on that Chat Noir was a demon, then they would still think that something weird was going on! No doubt Chloé would show everyone the photo and start spreading rumours around the school. Marinette was done for!

"Chat!" Marinette yelled angrily as she turned around, "Why could she suddenly see you?!"

"Sorry," Chat Noir shrugged, "My powers can go haywire when I'm in an emotional state. Do you know how hard it is manifesting myself into the mortal world _and_ making sure that I'm seen only by you and no one else? I couldn't concentrate properly so I slipped up."

"And now she has a photo of you and is going to spread it around school!" Marinette shrieked, pulling at her pigtails in panic.

Chat Noir sniggered, "I wouldn't worry about that."

"This is serious!" Marinette continued to panic. "Okay, seriously now, enough is enough! No more following me to school!"

"Y'know the only reason I did it in the first place is because you got bossy with me," Chat Noir frowned.

Marinette groaned, "I can't afford to play stupid games like this, Chat! You could have got me in serious trouble today! Heck, I'm already in serious trouble! You've done nothing but get me into trouble today. I can't handle it! You're making me a laughing stock!"

"I…I'm sorry?" Chat Noir apologised, seemingly not knowing what he was apologising over.

Marinette frowned. "Seriously, can you like, just stay in my room until school is over and I come back home? We can talk more then, but right now, I just want to get through the rest of the day without getting into trouble…well…less into trouble than I already am."

"I can't leave you alone unprotected!" Chat Noir's eyes widened in horror and fear.

"But I won't be alone," Marinette tried to reassure him, "I'll be with other people all day and my house is only across the road from the school, so what could happen? There's no other demons or dangerous magical people about."

Chat Noir uncomfortably shifted slightly at that remark.

"So what's the worst that could happen? Just please…you've caused enough damage for one day. I'll be straight home after school, I promise." Marinette's tone turned pleading.

Chat Noir thought for a moment, looking completely uncomfortable before he sighed in defeat. "Okay, fine, only because I don't want to upset you anymore," Chat Noir huffed, "But if _anything_ happens. Just summon me with my mark. I'll be watching this place like a hawk," He warned her sinisterly, frowning at her, still looking incredibly uncomfortable as he began to fade away before he eyes.

Marinette blinked as he disappeared, standing completely still for a few seconds before she waved her hand towards where Chat Noir had just been stood. Her hand didn't come into contact with anything which left Marinette feeling more confident that he had gone. Marinette then sighed with relief, her body finally relaxing as she was no longer in his intimidating presence. She hadn't got all the answers she had wanted thanks to Chat Noir being evasive about certain things and because of Chloé interrupted them. Marinette was still terrified and confused.

But right now, Marinette was more concerned about repairing the damage that could potentially be caused by Chloé right now. Marinette growled angrily to herself as she yanked open the bathroom door and began running down the corridor, back towards her class. Who knows how many people Chloé had shown by now. At least things would hopefully be easier now that she didn't have Chat Noir stalking her around school and making situations even worse for her. He said he wanted to protect her, but what exactly was he supposed to be protecting her from? So far, all he had done was put her in more awkward situations. Now that he had promised to stay in her room, hopefully that meant that nothing else would happen today.

* * *

 **Way to jinx it Marinette. Of course stuff is going to happen now. I'm super duper excited to write the next chapter. It's going to be a fun one. But for now, I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter. It kinda felt like filler to me, but unfortunately, filler is necessary sometimes as it builds up and sets up for the more interesting stuff to come. Also, fanfiction kept glitching on me while I was editing, so I hope that there isn't a lot of errors I've missed. Feel free to let me know what you guys think as it always helps me out immensely. See you guys soon!**


	7. The Devil's Card

**Greetings! I hope that you're all having an amazing week so far and that you're all well. Thank you so much for the awesome reviews! Words cannot even begin to describe how grateful I am for all of the feedback this story has been getting so far. It's amazing to see how many people are enjoying this story so far. Also, thank you to those who have followed this story and added it to their favourites. Every little bit of support inspires me to continue.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: The Devil's Card**

Marinette ran back to class faster than she ever had her whole entire life. She had to get that phone off Chloé and delete that photo! That's if her long time bully hadn't already beaten her back to class. That seemed to be the case as there was no sign of the blonde girl anywhere in the corridor ahead of her. No no no, please no, Marinette kept chanting to herself inside her head. This couldn't be happening? What was she going to do if Chloé managed to show someone? Would Chloé decide not to show people and instead use it as blackmail material? There was no telling with that awful girl sometimes.

Tripping over her own feet constantly, Marinette refused to let her clumsiness get the better of her and kept on running down the corridor until finally, her classroom door came into view. Despite her legs aching from breaking into a run so quickly, Marinette pushed herself the last few metres and burst through the classroom door. She froze as she saw that Chloé was already stood at the front of the classroom, her phone in her hand, ready to damn Marinette to a life of humiliation. The rest of the class and Miss Bustier were staring at Chloé curiously and slightly impatiently. Chloé smirked at Marinette before she cleared her throat and began to speak.

"You all think that Marinette is little miss innocent," Chloé cackled, "But I am here to expose her for the freak that she is."

Marinette growled and lunged for Chloé's phone, however, Chloé quickly pulled it out of the way, sending Marinette toppling to the ground with a loud thud. There were a few giggles from people in their class and Marinette could see Alya and Nino staring down at her concern, sitting up slightly in their seats, ready to get up and help her.

"Miss Bourgeois, you said you had an important announcement," Miss Bustier scolded lightly, folding her arms across her chest.

"And I do Miss Bustier," Chloé replied innocently, fluttering her long, fake eyelashes, "I caught Marinette Dupain-Cheng, in the girl's bathroom, with a boy."

Everyone in the class gasped and Marinette hid her face in her hands, just wishing that the ground would just swallow her up right now. How was she going to talk her way out of this? Marinette was a terrible liar. She could already feel the strange looks and the smirks that everyone in the class was sending her way. Her own behaviour wasn't doing herself any favours. By bursting into class and trying to grab Chloé's phone, she had just incriminated herself even more. She should have just not reacted and pretending like nothing was wrong.

"Is this true, Marinette?" Miss Bustier looked at Marinette in shock.

"I –" Marinette tried to protest before she was cut off by Chloé.

"Oh, it was truly disgraceful, Miss Bustier," Chloé placed a hand on her forehead dramatically, "I was so scared when I walked in and saw him. Not only that, but he dressed in a strange way, like he had a fetish for leather or something."

"Miss Bourgeois," Miss Bustier warned and Marinette could feel her face turning bright red. She supposed to an outsider, that's how Chat Noir must have looked.

"But it's the truth, and I have photographic evidence!" She state proudly before holding up her phone so that everyone in class could see the screen. Using her thumb, she clicked onto the gallery option before closing her eyes and smiling smugly at the class.

Marinette held her breath, bracing herself for the laughter and ridicule that was to come. No doubt she was going to get into serious trouble for this. Not just from the rest of the kids in school, but from the teachers as well. Bringing a strange boy into school and talking to him in the girls' bathroom would likely get her into huge trouble for how weird it looked. She wanted to strangle Chat Noir right now for putting her through this. Was this his plan all along? To humiliate her, so he could teach her a lesson for being _bossy_ as he had claimed earlier? After this, Marinette would likely have to move away and start a new life. Maybe she should move to Greenland or something. Somewhere nice and isolated where nobody would know her. Where nobody knew of this humiliation.

"So where's leather boy?" Alix laughed and the rest of the class began chuckling as well.

Marinette finally opened one eye and glanced towards the brightly lit screen of Chloé's phone. There was nothing there. Just a photo of the bathroom stalls and no sign of Chat Noir anywhere. Wait…hadn't he told her not to worry about Chloé's photo? That sly cat…he had made it so he wouldn't appear on the photo. Marinette could almost feel a smile tugging at the corner's of her lips. He had saved her skin just now and it was almost unbelievable.

"You sure you weren't just seeing your own secret fantasies, Chloé?" Alya jeered causing the entire class to burst out laughing.

Chloé gasped and looked at the photo, her eyes widening once she too realised that Chat Noir was no where to be seen. She flicked through all her photos before clenching her fists in anger and stomping her foot. She let out a growl as the class continued to laugh hysterically at her.

"He must have done something to the photo, or Marinette did!" Chloé protested.

"If you had your phone in your hand for the entire time, that would be statistically impossible," Max chimed in, "Unless _this boy_ and Marinette were supernatural beings – which is impossible – there is no way anyone other than you could have manipulated the photo."

"He really was there!" Chloé shrieked.

"Chloé, we all know you're just trying to bully Marinette again, so why don't you just sit down and stop embarrassing yourself." Alya glared at her.

"I think that would be best; leave poor Marinette alone." Miss Bustier frowned down at Chloé who was staring down at her phone in shock and confusion. Unusually without a word, Chloé slowly walked back towards her sit and sat back down, slamming her phone down on her desk before staring out of the window, looking away from everyone as she let her long, blonde ponytail hide her face from the rest of the class.

"Are you alright, Marinette?" Miss Bustier asked and Marinette nodded, not trusting her own voice as she scrambled back up off the floor and quickly and clumsily sat back down next to Alya. The laughter of the rest of the class died down as she tugged at the sleeves of her jacket again, once again making sure that her mark was well hidden before the feeling of Alya gently elbowing her on the arm made her jump slightly.

"You don't really have a secret boyfriend, do you?" Alya whispered to her, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"What? No!" Marinette glared at Alya who chuckled and held her hands up.

"Just checking. So what was Chloé talking about?"

"I have no idea how Chloé's twisted mind works," Marinette replied, staring down at her work, "She just came into the bathroom, took a picture and ran off."

"Weird," Alya chuckled.

Marinette nodded in agreement and sighed, hating the fact that she just had to lie to her best friend. But if she told the truth, Alya would think she was crazy. Despite being surrounded by people, Marinette was beginning to feel completely alone. There was no one for her to turn to. No one to help her find a way out of this mess. Admitting you had sold your soul to a demon was pretty up there in ways to get yourself locked up in a psychiatric ward.

Luckily, it seemed like Chat Noir had kept his word as Marinette saw no sign of him for the rest of the day. Unless he was secretly invisible and watching her right now. Who knows what sort of other crazy powers that scary demon had. Marinette wouldn't put anything past him. He said he would be in her room, but how did Marinette know that she could trust him? She had told him to stay in her room or go away this morning, but he hadn't listened to that. So Marinette wouldn't put it past him not to listen to her now. But the rest of the day was quiet and she supposed she should be grateful for that. Chloé kept to herself for the rest of the day, clearly embarrassed by the photo incident. The rest of the class kept chuckling at her every time she walked past. Marinette almost felt kind of bad for her, but at the same time was incredibly relieved that Chat Noir never showed up in the picture. Her life would be over if that was the case.

The final bell rang and Marinette sighed and stretched her stiff muscles as she began packing her things away. She hadn't had much inspiration in art class thanks to her lack of sleep and the amount of stress that Chat Noir was currently putting her under. She had done nothing but stare at a blank piece of paper which was unusual for her. Normally the fashion design ideas flowed gracefully straight from her brain, through her pencil and then onto the paper. Not this time though.

Feeling completely miserable, Marinette knew what was coming next. She would head home and Chat Noir would likely be in her room waiting for her. What would she do then? What would _he_ do? She had so many questions, but knew that she likely wasn't going to get any answers. Chat Noir was being completely cagey. Once she stepped outside, she stared across the road and towards her bedroom window. She couldn't see any sign of anyone inside. So why did she feel like she was being watched?

"Hey girl."

"Gah!" Marinette yelped, nearly falling down the stairs near the entrance as she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Relax, it's only me," Alya chuckled.

"Ah…right…yes." Marinette smiled awkwardly.

"Well, it doesn't look like we have much homework tonight. Fancy going shopping before we head home?" Alya offered.

Marinette bit her lip and looked back towards her bedroom window. She really should be heading back as Chat Noir would likely be waiting for her. Wait…what was she thinking? She owed Chat Noir nothing. He had done nothing but make her life a misery since he appeared. So why should she rush home to him? After what she had been through today, she was entitled to spend some quality time with her best friend. Chat Noir could wait. What exactly could happen?

"Yeah, sure," Marinette beamed.

Alya laughed and hooked her arm through Marinette's before dragging her away from the school – dragging her away from the bakery. All the while, Marinette couldn't shake off the feeling that somebody was watching her. It was something she had never felt before. It was a feeling she didn't even realise existed. She thought it was just a figure or speech. But it felt like the walls of the buildings around her were made of eyes whose gazes burned into her very soul. Marinette couldn't help but look around, slightly worried. Everything she had spoken about with Chat Noir kept ringing around in her mind. Everything felt so terrifying and confusing.

Marinette's curiosity kept eating away at her. Who was this Ladybug that Chat Noir kept speaking of yet now all of a sudden wanted to avoid the subject of? Why did he think that she was this Ladybug at first, yet kept continuing to claim that no case of mistaken identity was involved? If Chat Noir wouldn't tell her, there had to be some other way of finding out the answers.

"Alya?"

"Yeah?"

Marinette bit her lip, unsure whether she should ask, but decided to just go ahead and do it. "Do you know who Ladybug is?"

"Ladybug? You mean like the insect?" Alya sounded confused as she continued to lead them down the street, passing lots of small businesses as they did so. She finally let go of Marinette's arm as they began to pass crowds of people, meaning that sometimes they both had to walk in single file in the crowded street.

"No, a person called Ladybug," Marinette corrected.

"I have no idea, why?"

"Oh, it's just a name I came across that had me curious as it's really unusual," Marinette half lied, feeling incredibly guilty as she did so.

"Well, why don't you look it up?" Alya suggested, falling back so that they could walk side-by-side again.

Marinette wanted to slap herself for not thinking to do that sooner. She pulled her pink backpack over her shoulder slightly and unzipped it, quickly pulling her phone out. She typed the word ladybug into her search bar and grew frustrated when the only articles that came up were about the insect. To be honest, Marinette didn't know why she expected any less.

"Uhh, all that comes up is stuff about the insect," Marinette groaned.

Alya rolled her eyes before she snatched Marinette's phone out of her hand. "Here, let me. You don't have the detective skills that I do."

Marinette watched as Alya studied her phone and began typing away into the search bar. It looked like Alya herself was about to give up until she finally raised an eyebrow, but still looked slightly confused.

"Okay, the only other thing I managed to find apart from the insect was this history article about folklore from the middle ages," Alya explained.

"What does it say?" Marinette asked curiously. If that was the only other hit they got, then surely that must have at least something related to what Chat Noir might be talking about.

"According to this," Alya began, "Ladybug was a creature of the netherworld."

"What's a netherworld?"

"I think it's like some sort of underworld," Alya explained before continuing, "According to scriptures found by archaeologists excavating villages from the ninth century, Ladybug was some sort of deity that they worshipped who was said to have travelled to the mortal realm and helped people. She was said to have been extremely beautiful and is often depicted dressed like a ladybug wearing a red suit with black spots. She was incredibly fascinated by mortals and used her powers of creation and good luck to assist mankind."

Marinette remained silent. That sounded awfully close to what Chat Noir could possibly be talking about. If she was some sort of creature from an underworld and was incredibly powerful, then that indeed sounded a lot like Chat Noir. But the article said that this Ladybug wanted to help humans. Why would Chat Noir be interested in someone like that? It was clear from their first meeting that Chat Noir hated mortals. And what's more, Marinette certainly wasn't this Ladybug. Ladybug was a creature from the netherworld and, the last time she checked, Marinette was human.

"So it just seems like some silly legend," Alya concluded, handing Marinette back her phone.

"Yeah," Marinette agreed before frowning as the screen of her phone began to glitch. She stopped and stared down at her phone in confusion as the screen flashed and glitched from one page to another. That was odd. Her phone had never done that before. Marinette then tried putting her phone to sleep before switching the screen back on again, sighing with relief when that seemed to do the trick. Marinette then placed her phone back in her backpack before she looked up again, realising that she was stood all alone and that Alya was gone. Great. Alya had wandered off without her.

Marinette sighed and looked around, trying to think of which direction she might have possibly headed in. That's when something rather unusual caught her eye. Stood across the road from her were two tall looking men, dressed head to toe in black with hoods covering the tops of their head and their eyes. All that was visible was the pale skin of their lips and chins. They were stood unnaturally still, staring directly at Marinette.

Feeling creeped out, Marinette quickly kept walking straight ahead, hoping to catch up with Alya. After walking a few feet, Marinette looked back towards where the men had been standing and couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief when she saw that they were gone. However, something compelled Marinette to look directly behind her and when she did, she gasped. The men were walking towards her fast, gracefully weaving between people as they quickly gained on her.

 _Okay, Marinette, don't panic,_ she told herself, _they might not even be following you, it could just be a coincidence._ Though the paranoid side of Marinette's brain refused to believe that. It was just too weird and every part of Marinette's instincts were screaming at her that something was wrong. Her heart leapt into her mouth and she quickened her pace, gripping her backpack tightly, ready to just hand it over if they grabbed her and demanded it. She tried to remember everything her parents had taught her about what to do in these situations. Okay, first off, she needed to cross a road just to make sure they were in fact following her.

Luckily, the road was pretty quiet and Marinette quickly crossed over to the other side. Surely if they were after her, they wouldn't attack her in broad daylight, right? There were loads of people around. Should Marinette scream? Should she ask someone for help? Would they even believe her? After walking a few more metres, Marinette quickly turned her head again, gasping when she saw that the two mysterious men had in fact followed her across the road, however, they seemed to be falling behind as this side of the street was a lot more crowded.

Using this as an opportunity, Marinette quickened her pace again, weaving in and out of people as much as she could, walking in a zig-zag pattern, hoping to give them the slip. She turned around again and couldn't see any sign of them this time, so Marinette quickly darted into the first small shop she came across. The bell above the door jingled loudly before the door slammed shut. She panted loudly, out of breath as her panic began to fade slightly. Though unfortunately the shop she seemed to have wandered into looked completely deserted. She was the only person there. She just hoped those creepy men didn't spot her.

That's when Marinette finally noticed just what type of shop she had stumbled into and her heart once again began to race in her chest. It was a quaint looking shop with very little lighting making its way through the overcrowded window display. The floor was made out of old looking wooden floorboards that creaked with every movement. The shelves were filled with strange statues and other ornaments along with many crystals in a variety of beautiful colours that sparkled in the limited light. Dreamcatchers hung from the ceiling and Marinette flinched at the sight books on demonology and other information on things to do with the occult. The smell of incense almost made Marinette choke with how thick the air was with it. A small register was in the corner of the store, with a lower table next to it that was covered in a red silk cloth.

Intimidated, but curious, Marinette wandered over towards one of the shelves and tilted her head to the side at the sight of packs of tarot cards. Marinette was about to pick a pack up to get a better look when a sudden noise behind her made her jump.

"Oh, sorry dear, I didn't realise I had a customer," An old looking lady appeared from a doorway that led into what Marinette assumed was the back of the store. The lady was very small and her brown hair was starting to grey slightly in certain areas. She was dressed in all black and was wearing bright red lipstick that contrasted against her pale skin that was starting to wrinkle slightly.

"Can I help you?" She asked politely, though her light blue eyes seemed distant and slightly dazed, as if she was in the middle of daydreaming.

"Oh, no, I was just looking," Marinette mumbled awkwardly, not having the heart to admit that she was just hiding in here for a few minutes before she went back out to find Alya. She was hoping that those mysterious men had gone by now. Had they actually been following her? It certainly seemed that way. But luckily, Marinette still couldn't see any sign of them as she subtly looked out of the window.

"Ah yes, tarot cards, one of my most popular products," The woman said as she walked over to look at what Marinette had been browsing through, "Do you read them?"

"Me?" Marinette chuckled, "No. If I'm being honest, I don't really believe in that stuff."

The woman's eyes flickered to Marinette's hand. "Are you sure?" She smirked.

Marinette remained silent, pulling the sleeve of her jacket down even more.

"Why don't I give the non-believer a free reading?" The woman offered, "Then you can decide for yourself whether it's real or not."

"No thank you," Marinette smiled awkwardly, trying her best to be polite.

"But you seem lost child. Perhaps a reading could help provide you with clarity"

Marinette thought for a moment. It would be an excuse to kill some more time while she waited to make sure that those creepy men had gone. And if it was for real, then maybe it _could_ help her. Plus, Marinette couldn't help but feel slightly bad for this woman. Despite how busy the street was outside, there was nobody coming into this small shop. This woman probably didn't get many customers and Marinette couldn't help but feel slightly guilty if she just walked in and then quickly left, no matter how much this place freaked her out.

"Okay," Marinette reluctantly agreed and the woman beamed at her.

"Great! Just take a seat over here." She gestured towards the table covered in a red silk cloth. "I'm Madame Destin by the way."

"Marinette," Marinette introduced herself as she slowly sat down in the small wooden chair next to the table, feeling unsure about this whole situation. She couldn't help but feel like this was already a mistake. Marinette and her big mouth. She really needed to stop getting herself into these situations.

"What a lovely name," Madame Destin smiled warmly, "The one who rises; very appropriate."

"Huh?"

Madame Destin ignored Marinette's questioning sound before she sat down opposite her and began shuffling some cards. "Just tell me when to stop, dear."

Marinette bit her lip and watched as she continued to shuffle the cards. "Stop."

Madame Destin smiled and began laying ten cards out on the table in a neat order. Marinette couldn't help but be slightly fascinated. She'd never had her tarot cards read before so this would certainly be a new and interesting experience…and a terrifying one. However, Marinette didn't have too much time to dwell on that as Madame Destin had already flipped over the first card.

"Well, it looks like the Five of Cups has decided to represent you. This means you must have met up with an old friend recently! It seems like a very hopeful outlook since they missed you so much. This card just wants to remind us that this old friend is a good thing to have come across." Madame Destin beamed at her.

Marinette frowned down at the card in confusion before smiling awkwardly as Madame Destin stared at her. The older woman then looked back down at the cards with a look of concentration on her face.

"You don't seem happy to see this friend though. Let's see why you aren't as happy as you should be." Madame Destin flipped the card over and placed it on top of the first one. "Oh, I see. Your friend is skilled and you're worried there is trickery and deception on their part. They make you feel insecure and you aren't sure whether or not this is a good thing. You are thinking the worst, aren't you?"

Marinette stared at Madame Destin with wide, spooked eyes, rubbing the palms of her hand together under the desk uncomfortably before biting her lip and resting her fingers on the edge of the silk cloth covered table, letting the soft smoothness of the silk calm her down slightly. However, Marinette's heart continued to beat a quick, but steady rhythm in her chest, pounding against her ribcage like a powerful drum, almost vibrating her entire body. Madame Destin's sudden exclamation did little to help calm her racing heart.

"Fear not! Let's see what goals are in mind. Perhaps this will shed more light on the answers you seek." Madame Destin flipped over the third card. "Oh…judgement..."

Marinette gasped. "J-judgment!? W-what does that mean? I'm being judged? By who? Why?"

Madame Destin smiled softly. "Now, relax; take a breath and I'll explain. Do not judge a book by its cover, nor a card by its title."

Marinette continued to chew on her lip and gripped the edge of the table even more tightly. Her shoulders raised slightly, tensing as she tried to make herself as small as possible, as if bracing for some sort of huge impact.

"There _is_ a judgement involved, but I cannot determine by whom – not yet at least. It seems like the main objective is forgiveness and atonement. This card also talks about rejuvenation and rebirth. I…" Madame Destin's eyes grew distant. "Fire? I see flames, but these are not the flames of hell…they're... a spell? Hmm…something must have happened in the past. Did this friend 'burn' you? Sometimes when I receive images they can be either metaphorical _or_ literal." She chuckled nervously. "Someone was…taken advantage of…a search for immortality…I…strange…the image is gone. I guess that was all the card wished to say. How peculiar."

Staring wide eyed at the card, all Marinette could do was remain frozen. None of this sounded familiar, yet at the same time, it gave Marinette a strange feeling. Almost as if…a long forgotten dream was trying to push itself to the forefront of her mind. A shiver ran up her spine and her fingers twitched, though she kept them pressed against the edge of the table, terrified that if she relaxed them, Madame Destin would see how much she was trembling. The incense continued to cloud Marinette's mind, making the whole atmosphere feel incredibly surreal. Once again, it made Marinette feel like her subconsciously was trying to reach deep into her mind for something. Something that had long been repressed and forgotten, but was just out of reach. That only served to spook Marinette even more and her feet twitched, longing to sprint towards the door and get out of this creepy place.

Madame Destin stared at Marinette full of concern before quickly looking back down at the cards, seemingly realising how scared and uncomfortable Marinette was becoming. "L-let's move on to your distant past!" She touched the card and gasped, startling Marinette who completely froze and stared at the older, strange woman with wide, fearful eyes.

"I…j-just a moment…" Madame Destin took a few deep breaths before shaking her head. "Weakness…have you always felt as though you have never been in control of things? I…" A look of fear on her face slowly grew into terror and devastation before she quickly made her face appear blank again. It all happened so quickly that Marinette wasn't sure she had seen anything at all, but the nonetheless it only made her feel more unsettled.

"Uncertain…" Madame Destin continued, "In t-the distant past you were uncertain what the fates held for you. Something bad happened to your friend…I…sorry. I'm getting a lot of images in my mind and I'm trying to sort them out to best explain them. There's a man with cold eyes…a boy…eyes the colour of emeralds…something bad happened and it's been buried deep. It's hard for you to reach it, but your friend…it's as though it happened yesterday."

Unable to breathe, Marinette stared down at the table in horror. Madame Destin hadn't even flipped the card over yet, so how was she sensing that? Eyes the colour of emeralds? Immediately visions of Chat Noir's eyes boring into her began to invade her mind. However, Marinette quickly shook her head and forced those images away, taking a deep breath to try and calm herself. Tarot cards were just that: cards. They didn't mean anything. So far they weren't making much sense. Marinette had never been burned in a fire and she had no old friend who had suddenly come back into her life. The first part admittedly was a little bit spooky, but Marinette had heard that fortune tellers often used tricks and manipulated their language to make what they were saying seem relevant to whoever they were reading.

Madame Destin let go of the card, keeping it face down which caused Marinette to swallow nervously. The strange woman then sighed and shot Marinette a small, reassuring smile before leaning back in her chair slightly, keeping her hand hovering over the cards that had been laid out in front of them.

"Let's not worry about the things we cannot change from so long…long ago…" She trailed off, her eyes growing distant again before they refocused on Marinette again. "How about your recent past? Let's take a look at that instead." She easily flipped over the bottom card to her left before she smiled widely at the image on the card. "You're a very happy person. You have friends you trust and parents that love you. The Page of Wands is a free individual. He talks of entrusted friends, faithful and loyal people around you, and someone has a message for you…green again…your green eyed friend comes baring news. His intentions seem good…yet I see a great unrest within you."

Green eyes. At those words, the intense image of Chat Noir's eyes invaded her mind, always staring at her and making her uncomfortable. Good intentions? If Chat Noir was what this fortune teller was talking about, how can taking someone's soul be seen as good intentions? Or this could all just be a load of crap. Green eyes could mean anything, Marinette tried to reassure herself. Lots of people had green eyes, her father included. Frustratingly though, her mind just wouldn't stop darting to Chat Noir. His image stubbornly refused to leave her alone.

"You don't believe him…" Madame Destin continued, drawing Marinette out of her deep thoughts again, "You let him frighten you…I think…no, I know he doesn't wish harm to come to you." She snapped out of her trance like state to stare deep into Marinette's eyes, making the young girl flinch back slightly. "Try to relax my dear. I have no reason to lie to you. Recall these are the cards you picked, not I. I am only here to deliver their messages."

Marinette nodded slowly. This was all starting to get on the spooky side again. It really did like she was describing what was happening in her life right now. She was terrified of Chat Noir and she certainly didn't trust him at all. But – according to Madame Destin – Chat Noir meant her no harm? How could a demon not mean anybody harm? Well…Chat Noir had claimed to be a _good_ demon if there was such a thing. All of that could just be a trick though.

"I can tell you need to know more of the unknown. The next card represents your future influences. You got," She flipped over the card, "The Sun! Oh, this is a very bright card! You are so worried and nervous and here is the Sun to brighten your day! Love and joy are in your future. It all seems to surround this old friend. They want to start over and be a new friend to you, a better friend. You seem to shut them out because of your fears about them…the cards will not show me much more though. It does show that happiness, engagement –"

Marinette squealed in fear, cutting Madame Destin off. Engagement?! _Engagement?!_ Marinette was only sixteen! She was too young to get married! Marinette pulled at her pigtails and stared down at the card in horror.

"There are other meanings for the word engagement," Madame Destin quickly tried to reassure Marinette, holding her hands out, hoping that Marinette wouldn't get up and run off as she kept angling her body to do. Once she was confident that Marinette was going to stay put and not freak out anymore, she continued to read the card.

"The Sun closes by saying there is an acceptance of life. That is open for interpretation though. I'm really curious on your attitude about your situation. The next card will give us that!" She flipped over the card. "Ah you received the –"

"A hanging? I'm going to be hung?!" Marinette freaked out, staring down at the card depicting a hanging man, her eyes wide with fear.

"Calm yourself," Madame Destin soothed a gentle tone, "Recall that these are the cards you chose. Do not judge them as you do your friend."

Marinette frowned, unsure as to what exactly she was talking about at first before her mind once again assaulted her with images of Chat Noir. Thinking about it, she had been rather judgemental towards him. Assuming that he was evil and was up to no good. But could Marinette even be blamed for that? He _was_ a demon after all. A demon who seemed to be obsessed with her. So she wasn't wrong to keep her guard up, Marinette reassured herself. If he wanted her to be less afraid and wanting her to judge him less, then he should properly explain to her what was going on instead of speaking in vague riddles. Marinette couldn't help but feel like Madame Destin's words were scolding her slightly, like a child who had been naughty. It all felt a little unfair.

After a few minutes of silence, Madame Destin continued reading the card. "Sacrifice –" She held up her hand before Marinette could freak out again "– This is your attitude. You feel like you are sacrificing everything you are, everything you love and hold dear to you. Things are not usually so black and white, my dear. You are afraid of the uncertain future you have. You need to readjust yourself to the new changes. You feel like there is a lack of progress, like you're going in circles…no…not a circle…it's a symbol…I see…no…"

Madame Destin glanced down at one of the unturned cards and began to slowly reach for her. Her hand shook as it stopped directly above the card. Her eyes grew slightly distant again while Marinette watched carefully and nervously, desperate to know while also wanting to remain ignorant at the same time. Curse her morbid sense of curiosity.

"Points…five points…sharp like a sword." She flipped the card over and Marinette gasped as it looked exactly how Madame Destin had described. "Five points on a star…the star belongs to an unappreciated person…emeralds…jewelled eyes, like that of a…"

"Cat?" Marinette blurted out without thinking before clamping a hand over her mouth.

"I…" Madame Destin trailed off, ignoring what Marinette said before shaking her head and smiling. "Almost done my dear; three cards to go."

Marinette gulped and glanced back down at the table anxiously.

"Your friends and others around you that you influence have a message. Let's see what they have to say." Madame Destin flipped the next card over and frowned, causing Marinette's heart to skip a beat. "Your fears are hurting your friendships. Almost like you are ready to give up on them or that you think they should give up on you. You do not put in the effort that is needed. Abandon your previous plans and shyness. Your modesty will only abandon your true success."

Marinette frowned in confusion. "What are you talking about? That's not true. What does that even mean?"

Madame Destin held up her hand. "There are still two more cards. Please be patient." She glanced down at the back of Marinette's right hand that was covered by the sleeve of her black jacket. Marinette shifted uncomfortable and pulled the sleeve of her jacket down even more, making absolutely sure that the mark was completely hidden, unnerved by Madame Destin's staring. However, Madame Destin quickly looked away and down at the next card. Her eyes once again darted back to Marinette's hand before she flipped the next card over.

"The Fool? This was not what I was expecting…obsession…infatuation…immaturity. The Fool is a traveller and is always looking for a new adventure. You're on a new adventure now, but what is an adventure without puzzles and the forces of darkness lurking around the next corner? Carelessness, a frenzy, and a lack of discipline. Be careful of where these thoughts are leading you. You are clouding your mind with fear instead of looking for the good in the situation. You aren't alone and yet you are being thoughtless and irrational." She glanced at Marinette's hand again, causing Marinette to hide it under the table. Madame Destin then pressed her lips together before speaking again.

"The last card…it's the final results and will influence all the previous cards…"

Marinette held her breath as Madame Destin flipped the final card over and Marinette froze at the sight. Staring up at her, was the upside down image of the devil. It's eyes burned into her soul just like the eyes of someone locked away in a distant memory. Cold, hard and full of nothing but evil.

No.

This was too much.

Marinette couldn't take it any longer and abruptly stood up.

"I-I'm s-sorry," Marinette quickly stuttered out her apology, "I-I've got somewhere I need to be." Marinette quickly began sprinting towards the door of the tiny store, the bell ringing loudly as she yanked the door open, the fresh air hitting her face and helping her clear her mind which had become complete fogged over by the powerful aroma of the incense.

"Wait!" Madame Destin pleaded, "It's not what you –"

The heavy, wooden door slammed shut behind Marinette as she ran back out onto the street.

"– Think." Madame Destin sighed out before staring down at the final card that depicted the devil. "You didn't let me connect everything or explain how nothing is in stone. If only you were more open…I could have warned you about what is to come. The centre of the star is important." She drew an upside down star and a circle in the air and studied the invisible symbol. "Sharp like swords, the dark will chase you like the mouse you are…but it isn't the cat you need to fear…"

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 **Long chapter, but there was nothing I could cut out of it. This chapter was pretty difficult to write. I really needed to make sure I got it exactly right. Massive shout out and thank you to my super, awesome, amazing friend ChibiRinni! She was an immense help to me writing this chapter and I couldn't have done it without her! Thank you! The tarot card scene was pretty much all down to her, so please send some love and appreciation her way. Feel free to leave a review letting me know your thoughts as it always helps me out! See you next Wednesday!**


	8. Deep Secrets

**Hello everyone and welcome back! I was so paranoid that I wouldn't be able to get this chapter up today because of all the stress I've been under lately, but luckily I managed to get it done. Thank you so much for all of your wonderful reviews and I'm so glad that you're enjoying the story so far. Also thank you to everyone who had followed this story and added it to their favourites. It all helps me keep writing.**

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 **Chapter 8: Deep Secrets  
**

Gasping for air to help clear her head of the strong scent of incense and of the strange and terrifying things she had just experienced, Marinette stumbled down the busy street, trying to get as far away from that little shop as possible. Some of the things that woman had said…it was just too creepy. Marinette wasn't sure how much more creepy experiences she could take before her heart gave out due to fright. Her head began to pound and Marinette gripped both temples with her fingers, gently rubbing her head and hopping to soothe it and maybe even erase away the racing thoughts that zoomed around her mind and crashed into the inside of her skull.

However, Marinette didn't get very far down the street when the overwhelming sensation of someone watching her creeped up on her again, sending a shiver down her spine. Were those strange men back? Marinette didn't dare look around to find out. Instead, she simply picked up her speed, trying to stay as close to the walls of the buildings as possible, hoping that maybe she would get lost in the crowd. Panic began to rise in her chest again and adrenaline pumped around her body, making her even more jittery. It felt like at any moment, someone was going to reach out and grab her from behind. The paranoia consumed her and Marinette began struggling to control her breathing. Everyone else around her was going about their daily business. Why would someone want to follow her in broad daylight? More importantly, why would they want to follow Marinette at all? She was nothing special. But yet lately it seemed that all she was doing was attracting unwanted attention. First Chat Noir and now this. Marinette just couldn't catch a break.

Growing even more panicked, Marinette pressed her lips together in the hopes that she wouldn't start hyperventilating. A small ally way opened up next to her just as a large crowd of people began walking past her, so Marinette used that as an opportunity to duck into the quiet, narrow street and hide. She pressed herself against the wall and clutched at her chest, trying to make as little noise as possible. Groups of people walked past and Marinette watched the outside street carefully, yet nothing suspicious stood out. Just hundreds of people going about their daily business.

Was this whole thing just in Marinette's head? Was she just feeling overly paranoid because of what had been happening with Chat Noir and because she had gotten very little sleep the two previous nights? Everything seemed so… _normal._ Marinette felt herself beginning to relax slightly, though for someone reason, she just couldn't seem to shake off this strange feeling in her gut. It was like there was an invisible force trying to tell her something, screaming at her in a frequency that Marinette couldn't pick up. Like an important broadcast that she couldn't tune into. It both confused her and terrified her at the same time.

Forcing herself to calm down, Marinette stepped away from the wall and peaked back out into the street. There was no sign of Alya and no sign of those two strange men. Maybe they really hadn't been following her. Maybe Marinette's tired and paranoid brain just went into overdrive and assumed the worst. It could just have been a coincidence. They were just two men walking down the street in broad daylight…who also happened to be hiding their faces. Maybe they were cosplaying or something? No one else seemed to be paying them any mind.

Just as Marinette was about to completely relax again, the sound of someone landing on the ground behind her sent her heart into a frenzy again. Her poor organ launched itself into her mouth along with a loud scream that soon became trapped and silenced by a large leather hand clamping over her mouth. Another arm snaked around her waist, pinning her back against what felt like a chest. A familiar sent surrounded her and Marinette stopped trying to scream, though she didn't relax in his grasp.

"And yet you said you didn't want to attract undue attention," Chat Noir's joke sounded forced and once he was sure that Marinette had stopped trying to scream, he slowly released his grip over her mouth and spun her around so that she was facing him. Marinette froze in shock at the sight of him. What was he doing here?! She thought she had told him to stay in her room.

Marinette was about to question him on this fact when her words became caught in her throat when his facial expression finally registered in her brain. All traces of humour and playfulness had vanished from his face. He looked just like he did last night when he had thought that she was playing a joke on him. However, now that it was daytime and she could see his features better, he looked even scarier. His face was thunderous and a raging fire burned behind his green eyes. His fingers gripped her shoulders tightly to a point where Marinette could feel his claws digging into her skin through the fabrics of her shirt and jacket. The sides of his jaw kept twitching as he clenched and unclenched it. Marinette began trembling underneath his gaze. He gave off a frightening aura and Marinette couldn't help but feel like she was about to be scolded by a superior.

But why? She shouldn't feel like that. She hadn't done anything wrong. She was entitled to go shopping with her friend; Chat Noir didn't run her life. Nor would she ever let him. So what was his deal? Did he think that just because she had accidentally given him her soul that he could just tell her what to do? Did he think that just because he was a demon that he could intimidate her like this? Well, he did intimidate her, but that didn't mean that Marinette was going to let on that he did. It was _his_ behaviour that was in dire need of reprimanding, not hers.

"Where have you been?" Chat Noir demanded in a flat tone, sounding like he was struggling to keep calm.

"What do you mean where have I been?" Marinette frowned in annoyance. "I went shopping with my friend, not that it should matter to you," She huffed.

Chat Noir glared back at her. "You told me you would come back!" Chat Noir's glare suddenly disappeared only to be replaced by a mixture of fear and relief. Marinette's eyes widened as he abruptly wrapped his arms tightly around her and pulled her close. He crushed her body against him and buried his face in her hair. Meanwhile the side of Marinette's face was pressed against his chest, leaving her shocked and confused. Her arms hung limply at her side as they were kept pinned by Chat Noir's arms which only squeezed her tighter. His whole body was trembling slightly and all Marinette could do was stand completely still, unsure of what was going on or what she should do. First he was scolding her, then he hugs her? Marinette really couldn't keep up with his behaviour.

"I'm sorry," Chat Noir whispered into her hair, making Marinette shiver slightly, "I'm just so scared of losing you."

"Okaaaay," Marinette replied in a confused tone before squeaking slightly as Chat Noir's arms tightened even more around her, completely restricting her air supply, "Errr, Chat…I can't…breathe…"

His arms around her loosened slightly, however he didn't let go of her. Marinette took a deep breath of air and her lungs rejoiced at the sensation. While Marinette tried to catch her breath, Chat Noir stubbornly clung onto her, his whole body still shaking as if he had just taken a freezing cold bath. It was making her incredibly uncomfortable, but yet she didn't have the heart to push him away. The way his voice shook when he said those words. It sounded like he really meant it. Marinette didn't know that it was possible for a demon to feel fear, but it sure sounded like they could judging by the way Chat Noir was suddenly acting. What was he so scared of? He was a demon, so what did demons have to be scared of? He was a powerful creature, capable of pretty much anything. Marinette was really starting to feel like she was missing something. Chat Noir was clearly keeping a lot of deep secrets from her. Why he was doing it, she didn't know, but she was growing increasingly frustrated with it.

Sighing, Marinette awkwardly patted Chat Noir on the back, not quite sure how to best comfort a demon in distress. Much to her further confusion, he seemed to relax at her touch. He nuzzled his face further into her hair and Marinette tried her best not to pull away out of fear. Madame Destin's words echoed around in her mind about how she had nothing to fear. It really had seemed like she was talking about Chat Noir. She had said that she could trust him; that he wasn't going to hurt her. Marinette supposed that if he really was going to hurt her, then he would have done so by now. Maybe Chat Noir really was harmless. Though Marinette still couldn't help but be slightly fearful of him. He was a demon that had taken her soul after all.

"Why would you lose me?" Marinette asked in confusion, still awkwardly tapping his back in an attempt to comfort him, "Why would it matter?"

Chat Noir pulled away from her and glared down at her again. "Don't ever say that!"

"What?"

"That it wouldn't matter if I lost you! Of course it matters! You matter to me!" Chat Noir gasped out, looking like Marinette had just said the most blasphemous thing imaginable.

"Why though?" Marinette demanded, "Why are you so interested in me?"

"It's…it's complicated," Chat Noir looked away, furrowing his eyebrows as he stared down at the ground. So many emotions crossed his face in that moment, but the one that was most prevalent appeared to be that of guilt. This only confused Marinette even more. What did he have to be guilty about? Apart from taking her soul when Marinette really didn't want him to. But surely he wasn't feeling guilty about that. He seemed to relish in the fact that her soul now belonged to him.

"I'm sure I could keep up," Marinette urged.

"It doesn't matter." Chat Noir looked back up at her again with a serious expression on his face. "From now on, I'm not going to let you out of my sight ever again."

"What?" Marinette shrieked, "You can't do that!"

"I think you'll find I can." Chat Noir smirked at her before taking her hands and tapping the mark on the back of her hand. "You belong to me, remember? And if I want to follow you everywhere then that's what I'll do."

"You're such a creepy stalker!" Marinette hissed.

"Maybe," Chat Noir chuckled, "But I'm _your_ creepy stalker." He kissed the back of her hand before Marinette snatched her hand back in disgust and backed away from him slightly.

"This isn't funny!"

"On the contrary, it's very hilarious how I can still rile you up so much, my _purrincess._ " Chat Noir's eyes widened and then he looked away like he had said too much. And he had. Marinette's curiosity and confusion instantly escalated again and she frowned at Chat Noir suspiciously. Chat Noir growled to himself before taking a deep breath through his nose and running his hand through his wild, blond hair.

"What are you talking about?" Marinette demanded, "You're talking like we've met before?"

"It doesn't matter," Chat Noir growled, clenching his hands into tight fists and gritting his teeth together. "I'm getting you out of here, away from these huge crowds of _mortals_." He grabbed hold of her arm and Marinette immediately tried to yank it back off him. But Chat Noir's grip was like steel. Unphased by her thrashing around, her merely pulled her closer to him, ready to drag her away.

"I'm not going anywhere!" Marinette fought back.

"I'm only trying to protect you!" Chat Noir yelled back desperately. There was an intense look of panic on his face as he said those words that it had Marinette stumbling backwards slightly in alarm. His green, cat-like eyes were wild and almost insane looking. They silently pleaded with Marinette to listen to him and Marinette almost felt her knees buckle beneath her with a longing to make him feel better and soothe his fears. He looked like someone who had lost everything and was now trying to protect the only object he had left. His eyes were haunted and Marinette's head began to pound. It was the same sensation she had experienced multiple times while speaking with Madame Destin. Like…there was something at the back of her mind…a thought…a memory that was trying to re-surface from the darkest depths of her subconscious. Something about this scenario felt very…familiar. But why? Marinette had never experienced anything like this before. Hadn't she?

"I don't need protecting," Marinette responded as gently as she could despite wanting to yell and scream at him for the way he was behaving. He was being completely unreasonable, but at the same time he seemed so genuinely scared that Marinette didn't want to upset him even more.

"Yes, you do," Chat Noir gasped out, "Please Marinette, I'll do anything; just let me protect you." He gently ran his hand down her arm and grabbed hold of her marked hand with both hands. He slowly brought it up towards his lips and kept her hand pressed against them. The feeling sent a warm shiver down her arm that travelled down her spine before spreading to the rest of her body. Once again, Marinette's head throbbed slightly at the familiar yet unfamiliar sensation.

Marinette shook her head incredulously. "And just what exactly do I need protecting from?"

Chat Noir's eyes narrowed as he gripped Marinette's hand even more tightly. The feeling of his hot breath against her skin made her shudder slightly again, though Marinette refused to let it affect her. She kept her eyes suspiciously locked on Chat Noir's, despite the urge to look away out of fear. He gazed back at her intensely, his slit pupils expanding slightly as he continued to stare at her.

"From these…these _creatures_ …these _mortals,_ " He admitted at last.

"In case it escaped your notice kitty-cat, _I'm_ a mortal."

Chat Noir growled, "You're different."

"Why?!" Marinette demanded, growing even more confused and frustrated. What made her so different from any other mortal that Chat Noir seemed to despise? However, Chat Noir looked away from her slightly, pressing his lips into a tight, thin line as if he was trying to keep words from escaping his mouth. Again, it seemed he was going to refuse to answer a question that Marinette was desperate to know the answer to. What exactly was he hiding from her? Why was he hiding it from her? None of this was making any sense.

Marinette was about to question him again, when all of a sudden, the sound of her phone vibrating in her bag made her jump slightly. Chat Noir, however, didn't move, his eyes growing distant as if he was lost in thought. Luckily, Marinette was easily able to snatch her hand out of his grasp and pulled her backpack over her shoulder and unzipped it to pull her phone out. Alya's name and photo lit up her screen and Marinette rolled her eyes, knowing that Alya was likely going to chew her out.

With a sigh, Marinette pressed the button to answer the call and placed the phone against her ear before cringing and holding it away from her ear slightly as Alya's voice began shouting at her loudly from the other end.

"Where are you, girl?" Alya demanded.

"I –"

"I didn't realise that I'd been talking to myself for the past five minutes," Alya complained, "I thought you were being quiet, so I turned around to check and you'd gone! What happened, girl? Where are you? I swear you're worse than a three-year-old sometimes."

"My phone started playing up so I stopped to try and fix it and when I looked back up, you'd gone," Marinette explained. Her eyes darted back over to Chat Noir who was watching her with a slight frown on his face. He folded his arms across his chest and simply stood there quietly and watched her. Marinette shot him a questioning look, but he didn't respond to it.

Alya sighed, "What am I going to do with you?"

Right as she said that, Marinette watched as Alya stepped into view on the street. Alya caught sight of her and stared at Marinette in confusion as she hung up the call before running over to her. Luckily, it seemed that Chat Noir had remember to make himself invisible to other mortals this time as Alya appeared to have no reaction to the cat-like demon who was currently standing next to her who was looking increasingly frustrated and annoyed.

"Mari, what are you doing in here?" Alya asked in confusion.

"Oh – ummm – some stuff fell out of my bag and it rolled in here," Marinette lied awkwardly.

Alya sighed and shook her head before grabbing hold of Marinette's hand and leading her away. "Now be a good girl this time and hold onto mommy's hand. We don't want you getting lost again now, do we?" Alya teased.

Marinette rolled her eyes before muttering sarcastically, "Very funny."

Marinette then looked behind her to see Chat Noir following them, his arms still folded across his chest as he glared at the both of them, almost looking as if he was sulking. His eyes locked onto Marinette, watching her like a hawk and causing Marinette to frown at him in confusion and frustration. He really meant it when he said he was going to follow her everywhere. Great. How was Marinette supposed to concentrate on anything now that she had a demon watching her and following her everywhere she went? She would have to find some way to put a stop to this. Preferably without angering Chat Noir any further. His eyes would occasionally flicker towards Alya and he looked at her in disgust. Like she was nothing more than dirt on the bottom of his shoe.

It caused Marinette to glare at him even more, however, Chat Noir didn't let up. He scrunched his nose up grumpily and Marinette found herself nearly laughing at how childishly he was behaving. Chat Noir was a great and powerful demon, yet here he was giving people the evils. It was a rather strange sight, but the humorous nature of his behaviour still didn't mean it was justified. He needed to knock it off.

"What?" Marinette mouthed the word to him.

"I don't like how this mortal bosses you about," Chat Noir growled out, "If only she knew who she was speaking to."

Bossed her about? He was a fine one to talk!

Marinette saw red. "You hypocrite!" Marinette yelled at him, causing Chat Noir's eyes to widened slightly before he glared at her again. Alya jumped slightly, startled by Marinette's seemingly sudden and random outburst. Marinette then gasped, realising what she had done and turned to look back up at Alya and smiled at her awkwardly. Alya meanwhile, simply gazed down at Marinette in confusion.

"I'm a hypocrite over wanting to get dinner?"

"What? No!" Marinette quickly rushed the save herself. "I just – umm – sorry? I was daydreaming about something – imagining an argument with Chloé. I ended up calling her a hypocrite." _Nice one Marinette,_ she scolded herself, _that totally didn't make me sound insane at all._ She would have probably looked more sane by just simply admitting she was yelling at a demon who had been stalking her for the past two days because she'd accidentally sold her soul to him.

Alya shot Marinette a bewildered look. "Riiight, okay?"

It didn't sound like Alya had bought it, but at least she dropped the subject afterwards. She continued talking away, though Marinette couldn't bring herself to pay attention. She made noises of agreement and disagreement in places where she felt like it would be appropriate. All the while she kept shooting glances back at Chat Noir who only seemed to be growing more and more agitated as he looked around at all the people walking past them. His expression would flicker to one of disgust to one of fear and then back again. He bit his lip nervously and every now and then, their eyes would meet and he would quickly look away again to seemingly survey the area around them. He looked completely uncomfortable. Though Marinette just couldn't figure out why.

Before Marinette could fully comprehend what was happening, Alya dragged Marinette into a fast-food restaurant and had sat them both down at a table. Luckily, it was quite and not many people were inside. They'd sat down further away from everybody else and Chat Noir, still looking like he was sulking, climbed onto the table next to them and sat down in a cat-like position, still glaring at both Marinette and Alya. Marinette tried her best to ignore him though.

"Brrrrrrr, it sure is cold in here for some reason," Alya noted and Marinette couldn't help but shoot a glance towards Chat Noir, "So, what do you want? I'm sure you're hungry after your little adventure."

Marinette rolled her eyes again, wishing that Alya would just drop the subject. She really didn't want to think about it. She didn't want to be reminded of how she thought two creepy men were following her and of her incident with Madame Destin. Marinette felt kind of guilty for running out on the poor old woman like she did, but she just couldn't take much more. It was all too creepy and too overwhelming. Shaking off those thoughts, Marinette dug into her backpack for her purse before she finally found it and pulled it out. Marinette then shrugged as she handed Alya ten euros.

"Just get me whatever you're having," Marinette said, not really feeling particularly hungry after everything that had just happened.

"Sure." Alya took the money off her and headed towards the counter, leaving Marinette all alone with Chat Noir again.

He said nothing as he continued to stare at her with a frown on his face.

"Are you just going to sit there sulking all evening?" Marinette sighed.

"I don't like you being here around all these mortals," He huffed.

Marinette felt like slamming her head against the table. "I don't care."

"You know I could stop you," Chat Noir threatened.

"So why don't you?" Marinette challenged, raising an eyebrow at him.

Chat Noir said nothing and remained sitting where he was. His frown deepened before he looked away from her and towards the other people that were sat at the other side of the restaurant, eating and talking happily to each other while a few others were busy on their phones. Chat Noir seemed to study everyone in the room individually for a few seconds before he finally looked back towards Marinette, this time seeming slightly more relaxed, though he still looked like he was incredibly on edge.

"What's your problem?" Marinette demanded.

Chat Noir sighed. "I know you think I'm a monster. I really don't want to validate that fact further for you by kidnapping you and hiding you away somewhere – as much as I want to," Chat Noir admitted with a deep, troubled frown on his face, "I just…I really don't like mortals."

Marinette frowned in confusion. "You didn't seem to have that much of a problem with it when I was at school?"

"I did, but that was slightly different. Those mortals were younger and still practically kids. Here we're surrounded by grown mortals and they're the most dangerous." He twitched slightly.

Marinette's eyes widened in surprise. Chat Noir sounded almost…frightened? Did he have a fear of mortals or something? That certainly would be interesting. Marinette never thought in a million years that a demon could be afraid of such a thing. Marinette couldn't help but study his face more carefully. His eyes were narrowed as he glared at the wall above Marinette's head. His claws gripped the table beneath him, leaving small marks as he did so. His black, leather tail kept twitching slightly, as did his ears at any slightly sound.

"Chat?" Marinette gasped out. "Are you scared of humans?"

Chat Noir looked back down at Marinette again as his eyes widened before he smirked and chuckled slightly. "No," Chat laughed, "As if a mere mortal could scare _me_. I just don't like them. I think they're horrible creatures that cause nothing but pain." Chat Noir's voice shook slightly before he closed his eyes and then opened them again, continuing to talk after taking a deep breath. "What does scare me is what they could do to _you_."

"I'm sat here fine now, aren't I?"

Chat Noir turned to glower at all of the other people in the room. "For now."

Marinette was about to question him further before she was stopped by the sight of Alya walking back towards their table with a tray full of food. She placed it down on the table and pushed a burger and some fries towards Marinette. Marinette took it and began picking at it, only occasionally putting some in her mouth. Every now and then, her eyes would drift back towards Chat Noir. However, his eyes remained firmly locked on every other person in the room. His ear and tail twitching at even the slightest movement that someone would make. Marinette couldn't help but think back to what he had said. There had to have been something that triggered Chat Noir's hatred of humans. Marinette really wanted to know what it was. And if he hated humans, then why was he so fascinated by her? What made her so special?

"Marinette, are you okay?" Alya's question brought Marinette back out of her deep thoughts.

"Err, yeah, why?"

Alya chuckled, "You've been staring in that direction for the past five minutes." Alya pointed towards Chat Noir, little did she know that a demon was sitting right next to her. At her words, Chat Noir turned around curiously before it dawned on him exactly what Alya was talking about. He smirked and winked at Marinette, chuckling as Marinette's cheeks immediately turned bright red before he turned back around to watch everyone in the room again.

"I…" Marinette squeaked out before shaking her head to clear her poor, confused brain, "I'm just tired, that's all." That wasn't technically a lie. Marinette felt like she might collapse at any second with how tired she was feeling. It was a miracle that she hadn't fallen asleep during any of her classes today.

Alya shot Marinette a sympathetic look. "I really am sorry about what happened at the sleepover."

Marinette waved her hand dismissively. "It's fine, I'm over it."

"Are you sure?" Alya questioned, "Because you have been kinda jumpy today?"

"Like I said, I'm just tired."

Alya held her hands up in defeat. "Alright, if you say so. Are you finished?" She nodded her head towards the half eaten food in front of Marinette that she hadn't touched in a while. Marinette nodded, pushing the tray away from her to emphasise the fact. Chat Noir seemed to perk up after hearing that. He sat up a little straighter and eagerly kept his eyes glued to Marinette, waiting for them to both stand up to leave.

"I just need to use the restroom first," Alya said, stand uping and wandering away.

Marinette slouched in her seat, her whole body beginning to ache with exhaustion. Marinette was starting to wish that she had just gone home after school. At least then she wouldn't have had to have added more creepy experiences onto her list. It sure had been a long and exhausting day. Though what would happen when Marinette got home, she wasn't sure. She would be all alone with Chat Noir again. What would he do? Maybe Marinette could finally get him to explain things to her. She was definitely going to try and question him about Ladybug again. Marinette needed answers. She was tired of feeling like she was being purposefully left in the dark. Chat Noir at least owed her some proper explanations after everything that had happened. The lack of answers was starting to drive Marinette crazy.

Sighing, Marinette couldn't help but look back up at Chat Noir, her eyes for some reason always felt constantly drawn towards him. He stared back down at her and Marinette quickly looked away, feeling her cheeks growing warm again. She stared down at the food in front of her before she frowned in confusion. She had never seen Chat Noir eat or drink anything.

"Do you want some of this?" Marinette offered awkwardly.

Chat Noir blinked before shuffling forward slightly and leaning down towards the food. He stared at it in confusion before sniffing it, scrunching up his nose and then backing away again while shaking his head. Marinette watched in shock before she couldn't help but giggle slightly. Chat Noir glared down at her playfully in response before going back to watching everyone in the room again like he was on guard.

"But aren't you hungry?" Marinette asked.

Chat Noir turned back to look at her in confusion. "Huh?"

"Don't you need to eat?"

Chat Noir shook his head.

"So demons don't eat anything?"

"We can eat, but we don't need to," Chat Noir explained, "Back home we sometimes hold fancy banquets and we sometimes eat during parties, but it's rare. Some demons prefer it more than others. It's just a matter of taste."

Despite her previous fears, Marinette couldn't help but be slightly interested by this new information. "What about you? Do you like to eat?"

"Sometimes," Chat Noir replied, "But I hate food from this realm, it's disgusting. Not that I come here often anyway."

Surprising herself, Marinette weirdly found herself wanting to know more. It worried her that she seemed to be starting to develop some sort of morbid fascination with the world that Chat Noir had opened her eyes to. However, Marinette didn't get the chance to question Chat Noir any further as Alya soon arrived again. They threw their trash away before picking up their bags and leaving with Chat Noir trailing behind Marinette the whole time. She could feel his eyes burning holes into the back of her head as they walked down the streets, back in the direction of where they both lived.

So it seemed that there were some things that Chat Noir was comfortable talking about. That realisation cast aside any doubt in Marinette's mind; Chat Noir was definitely hiding something from her. And when they got home, Marinette was going to make sure that she finally got some proper answers out of him.

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 **What exactly is Chat Noir hiding? I would love to know your thoughts and theories. Also, it looks like I'll have to move the updating day of this story to Friday now because of stuff I've got going on. It should hopefully make things a little bit easier for me. Sorry for messing you guys around. Anyway, feel free to let me know what you think in a review as it always helps me out and I appreciate it. Also, I hope there aren't any extra errors in this chapter, as editing was kinda rushed. I'm super excited for the next chapter. This chapter was kinda filler, but the next one is gonna be fun! See you guys next Friday.**


	9. Unstable

**Hi guys! I hope that you've all been having a lovely week! I was terrified that I wouldn't be able to post this chapter today, but luckily I managed to do so, though it is technically Saturday here in the UK now, but ssssh. It still counts seen as most of my readers are American and it's still Friday in America. This chapter gave me so much damn trouble. I just hope it's okay. Thank you so much for all of your amazing reviews! It's what helps me keep writing. Also, this story has reached over 200 followers which is crazy, thank you so much!**

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 **Chapter 9: Unstable  
**

All Marinette could do was stare forward with unblinking eyes as she made her up the stairs towards the apartment she shared with her parents above the family bakery. Chat Noir shadowed her every movement behind her and she could sense him leering over her, making sure that he was always keeping a close eye on her. She could practically feel him burning holes into the back of her head as she continued to trudge slowly up the stairs. After saying goodbye to Alya, intense exhaustion fell upon Marinette as if a whole house had just collapsed down on top of her. Now she had nothing to distract her, of course the day she'd had took that opportunity to catch up to her.

It felt like her whole body was made out of lead. Every part of her felt incredibly heavy and her mind swirled dizzyingly with the thoughts and memories of everything that had happened that day. Her eyes were half-lidded as they ached and begged for a decent night sleep. Marinette longed to just trudge back up to her room and collapse onto her bed before sleeping for ten years. But she knew that wouldn't be possible. The demon walking closely behind her was proof of that. In fact he was walking so closely behind her that Marinette was worried that he was going to step on her heel and trip her up. She could practically feel his chest brushing against her back and every time it did so, it would only make her heart beat even faster. Her palms were sweaty as she clung onto the bannister.

Chat Noir was angry. It radiated off him in waves and Marinette could easily sense it. Obviously he was still mad at her for not immediately coming home after school like she said she would. Marinette was desperate to know what his deal was. Despite how terrifying he was and his clear contempt for mortals, he treated her as if she was the most precious and delicate object in the world. It really creeped Marinette out. Which is why she was determined to get answers. Marinette was starting to feel like the situation she had gotten herself into was more than a coincidence. That Chat Noir had not just been some demon passing through and coincidentally happened to be the one that Marinette accidentally sold her soul to. She felt like there was something more to this situation than met the eye. Chat Noir was definitely hiding something from her. Something big and important. But what? And why?

Why was he obsessed with possessing her soul, yet didn't seem to want to do anything with it? If Chat Noir intended to kill her to make off with it, then surely he would have done so by now. Marinette swallowed at that dark thought. She couldn't believe she was just casually contemplating all of this as if it was normal. She couldn't believe how calmly she had spoken to him earlier. She couldn't believe she had stood up to him like that! Just last night, she had been cowering in fear, completely terrified of him. She was still scared of him, there was no doubt about that, but for some reason, Marinette was suddenly feeling more comfortable around him. Madam Destin's words had reassured her slightly.

As Marinette approached the last set of stairs, she slowly turned around to catch a peak of him. He was staring right at her, just like Marinette had sensed he was. His eyes were slightly narrowed and glowed in the darkening hallway as the sun set over the city of Paris. He didn't react to catching her turning around to look at him; he just kept staring at her intensely. The intensity of his gaze caused Marinette to instantly turn back around, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink as she tried to stop her body from visibly trembling.

At last, Marinette finally reached her front door before she quickly unlocked it, though it was difficult with how much her hands were trembling. The whole time, Chat Noir remained silent, just simply staring at the back of her head as if he didn't dare take his eyes off her, making sure that she didn't try anything. Marinette really wanted to tell him to stop it, but she knew her parents would hear and no doubt they would get confused and worried if they caught their daughter talking to herself. She had already freaked everyone out enough with her behaviour lately – all thanks to Chat Noir.

Her parents were curled up together on the couch watching TV and Marinette risked a glance at Chat Noir again who seemed to be looking around the room with a slight hint of curiosity. He shot her parents a brief look of distain before he went back to watching Marinette again, only occasionally glancing around the room, pausing to look at certain objects in confusion before going back to staring at Marinette. Marinette resisted the urge to sigh in annoyance as she placed her keys on the kitchen counter.

"Hey mom, hey dad," Marinette greeted her parents, trying to make sure her voice didn't shake too much. The warmth of the room didn't help in making Marinette feel any less exhausted, but at the same time, every part of her body was paradoxically on high alert. Every single movement Chat Noir made always startled Marinette slightly as she became acutely aware of his presence, even more so now that she knew she would be alone with him again in a matter of seconds.

"Hi sweetheart," Sabine greeted back, "How was school?"

"It was okay," Marinette replied, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible, "I'm gonna head up to my room and have an early night. I haven't been sleeping well lately."

"Have you eaten?" Her father asked, concerned.

Marinette nodded. "Yeah I grabbed a bite to eat with Alya."

It hadn't been much, but Marinette had now completely lost her appetite. The mere thought of food caused her stomach to churn. The stress and fear was all becoming too much. She was so close to her room. So close to being alone with Chat Noir. So close to getting the answers that she was desperate for. Chat Noir also seemed impatient to get out of her parents' presence as he tapped his foot and folded his arms across his chest, glaring at them with a mixture of anger and disgust. What was his problem with other mortals? Why did he seem to hate them so much? He claimed they were dangerous, but Marinette couldn't help but feel like there was more to his prejudice than he was letting on. Why was Marinette an exception to this? He seemed disgusted with her at first, but then he did a total one eighty. Marinette really couldn't keep up with him.

"Well, if you do get hungry, I've left some left over cookies from the bakery, your favourite." Tom shot her a smile.

Marinette smiled back as best as she could and mumbled a quick thank you and a goodnight before she dashed upstairs to her room. Chat Noir followed her and Marinette closed her door behind him before standing back up and awkwardly looking away. She clasped and unclasped her hands before gazing down at them, her stomach doing a small flip when she caught sight of the mark on the back of her hand. To keep herself from looking at it, she clasped her hands behind her back before swallowing and forcing herself to finally look back up at Chat Noir.

He had settled himself on her desk chair with his feet propped up on her desk, leaning back comfortably. There were still traces of anger on his face, but he seemed to have relaxed more now that they were alone together. He took a deep breath, looking like he wanted to say something, but the words never made their way out of his mouth. Marinette watched him carefully, wanting to speak as well, but wasn't sure where to even begin. She wasn't quite sure how to best approach him with her questions. She knew it would likely be difficult to get any answers out of him, but she was determined to get the answers she wanted out of him. It wasn't fair of him to keep her in the dark. He had forcibly brought her into this world of demons and magic, so therefore she deserved to know what she had gotten herself into. She wanted to know why he had chosen her. Why he hated mortals, yet seemed perfectly fine with her. She wanted to know what exactly being marked by a demon meant. He hadn't really gone into much detail other than explaining that her soul was now his and that she could summon him to her by rubbing it. But why did he want her soul? Why did he want her to have his? She didn't even know that demons had souls.

Marinette was about to swallow her fear and apprehension and ask him when Chat Noir's firm voice suddenly interrupted her.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

"Huh?" Marinette frowned in confusion.

Chat Noir shot her a frustrated sideways glance while his posture remained relaxed on her desk chair. "Anything could have happened to you out there and I would have been none the wiser."

"What are you talking about?" Marinette demanded, growing even more confused and angry. "I was just out with my friend. Nothing happened. I very much doubt anything could have happened. I was in a crowded place with lots of people around, I really don't understand where all of this is coming from."

"Exactly! There were mortals everywhere!" Chat Noir abruptly cried out, finally standing up from the chair and storming towards her. Marinette cowered in fear slightly, raising her shoulders slightly, trying to make herself as small as possible. However, she refused to back away from him as he approached. She had honestly thought that Chat Noir had let the incident go by now and that he wouldn't voice his concerns and anger again. But clearly it was still bugging him which only confused Marinette even more. Why did he care so much? It didn't make any sense.

Chat Noir bent down so that he was eye-level with her and Marinette cringed back slightly, intimidated by the menacing expression on his face. He bared his teeth at her and clenched his hands into tight fists at his side while Marinette's knees buckled slightly to get away from his angry expression. She raised her hands slightly, ready to defend herself in case he tried to hurt her. So Madame Destin had said he meant her no harm? His demeanour sure was suggesting otherwise at the moment.

"Any one of them could have turned on you at any point and I wouldn't have been there to protect you. I can't let anything happen to you! Not ag –" Chat Noir cut himself off as he continued to glare down at her.

Marinette then glared back up at him, noticing that Chat Noir had been wanting to say more before he quickly stopped himself. Whatever secrets he was keeping from her, it was clearly proving difficult. Surely it would only be a matter of time before he cracked. That thought gave Marinette a sudden surged of confidence. Chat Noir wasn't some strong, perfect being. He was just as flawed and had weaknesses just as mortals did. Marinette would have to figure out exactly what his were so she could use them to her advantage and learn what was really going on. Maybe then she could even figure out a possible way of getting Chat Noir to leave her alone.

"Again? Is that what you were about to say?" Marinette frowned at him in confusion, finally standing up straight. Chat Noir took an automatic step back, suddenly looking a lot less arrogant. However, he still continued to try and leer over her and the ferocious glare remained on his face. The lights in the room began to flicker and Marinette could hear a growl rumbling deep within his chest. She refused to back down though, so Marinette stood her ground. She was going to get to the bottom of this. Demon or not, Chat Noir owed her this much.

Chat Noir said nothing as he continued to glare down at her. Marinette glared back, taking a step forward which caused Chat Noir to take a step back. She tried her best to study his face carefully. Underneath all the anger, Marinette could just about make out another emotion hidden deep within his cat-like eyes: fear. He was…scared? Of what? Of telling Marinette the truth? But why? Why should it matter to him?

The growl that had been building up in Chat Noir's chest finally escaped his lips and Marinette flinched back slightly, startled by how animalistic he sounded. Sometimes he looked and acted so human that she easily forgot that he was a powerful demon that was not of this world. Back in the restaurant, they had talked so normally, almost as if they were becoming friends. But to hear him growling at her like this now made her tremble slightly in fear. Chat Noir wasn't human. He was much more powerful than her and Marinette needed to be careful. Despite constantly being reassured that Chat Noir wouldn't hurt her, she wasn't willing to gamble her safety based on what other people had said. But at the same time, she wanted Chat Noir to know that she wasn't somebody who could be easily pushed around and controlled. She wanted Chat Noir to know that he couldn't just keep secrets like this and expect Marinette to just accept it. Especially seen as these secrets did seem to concern her.

"I want to know what you're talking about, Chat Noir," Marinette demanded as firmly as she could.

"You really don't," Chat Noir growled. The lights in the room continued to flicker and the temperature of the room dropped even more. Marinette could see her breath escaping her mouth in small puffs of steam and she could hear the buzzing of electricity around her room as everything went haywire. It caused her to tremble even more. Chat Noir was doing this. And he didn't even seem to be putting any effort into it. That thought terrified Marinette. If he was this powerful without even breaking a sweat, what else was he capable of?

"Yes, I do," Marinette insisted, "This isn't fair, Chat Noir. You keep hinting that there's this big secret that concerns me and I don't understand why you're keeping it from me. I want to know! I have a right to know!"

Chat Noir narrowed his eyes at her while his expression remained dark.

Marinette glared back at him before her expression morphed into one of knowing suspicion. She tilted her head to the side slightly as a small smile of realisation formed on her face. Chat Noir's eyes narrowed even more, seemingly not liking the direction things had taken. He stood as still as a statue though, his eyes glowing ominously in Marinette's darkening bedroom. Meanwhile, Marinette's head spun with what her and Alya had discussed earlier that evening – the historical article they had found on Ladybug. The name that Chat Noir had often accidentally used to refer to Marinette.

"It's to do with Ladybug, isn't it?"

Silence.

This only fuelled Marinette's confidence. "I'm right, aren't I?"

More silence.

"I know that Ladybug was some sort of creature of the netherworld. That's where you're from, isn't it? She had power over creation and good luck."

Chat Noir's eyes widened before they narrowed at her suspiciously. "Where did you hear about this?"

Marinette smirked triumphantly. "Us mortals have legends and there is a legend about a powerful creature named Ladybug who helped mortals. I'm guessing you knew her or something? But what I mainly want to know is what she has to do with me? I'm not stupid, Chat Noir, you kept calling me Ladybug when we first met. Why did you think that I was Ladybug? What is Ladybug to you? What is Ladybug to me?"

"Please stop saying her name," Chat Noir growled out lowly, squeezing his eyes shut and pressing his hands over his ears. This sudden, strange act startled Marinette slightly. Why was the topic of Ladybug so sensitive to him? It definitely hinted to her that she was on the right track. Chat Noir had practically admitted that she was right about Chat Noir and Ladybug being creatures from the netherworld and that Ladybug had helped mortals. Marinette could feel that she was close to getting some sort of hint of an answer. But she still grew incredibly frustrated over Chat Noir's reluctance to reveal everything to her.

"I'll keep saying it until you give me answers," Marinette threatened, "Ladybug, Ladybug, Ladybug –"

"ENOUGH!" Chat Noir's booming voice suddenly filled the room, sending shock waves flying out at all angles around him.

Marinette gasped, her screams becoming caught in her throat as she suddenly doubled over, collapsing to her knees onto the ground. Her back bent her forward against her will as if she was nothing more than a puppet someone had complete control over. It was like a heavy, unseen force was forcing her to move, no matter how hard Marinette tried to fight it. She sobbed and cried out as she was pressed against the floor by this unseen force, almost as if she was being forced into a position of prayer or being forced to bow. Marinette couldn't help but feel like it was the latter. It felt like someone had reached insider her and had grabbed hold of something deeply hidden inside herself. It was like someone was insider her body, completely possessing her, wearing her as if she was nothing more than a suit, invading her mind and reading her private thoughts like an easily hackable computer. The whole room also suddenly felt very heavy and Marinette was finally able to force her head up to try and see what was going on.

The lights above her buzzed and flickered wildly, and anything that didn't weigh much was sent flying around as her room suddenly felt like it was full of wild, gale force winds. Frightened tears streamed down her cheeks as she finally looked towards Chat Noir who was floating slightly off the ground and was gazing down at her with the most angry expression Marinette had ever seen. He looked utterly unstable. His teeth were bared at her as he snarled and a powerful, black aura radiated from him His eyes glowed even brighter and they locked onto Marinette, keeping her a prisoner within his gaze.

"You are speaking of things that you cannot, nor could you ever understand," Chat Noir snarled and Marinette shrank back as much as she could, despite still unable to maintain full control over her body. The mark on the back of her hand glowed slightly and Marinette yelped as she realised that it was Chat Noir doing this to her. It was him that was pinning to the floor without even physically touching her. Her soul…he was manipulating her soul!

The mark on her hand burned and Marinette squeezed her eyes shut, whimpering in pain and fear as she long for it all to be over. That Chat Noir would calm down. She was so stupid. She had just provoked a demon. What on earth had she been thinking?! Now he probably really was going to kill her. And it was all her own fault. She should have been more gentle. She shouldn't have mocked him. But she was just growing so frustrated with everything that she just felt like she wanted to lash out and feel like the person in power for a change. Her heart thumped erratically in her chest as her brain screamed at her to get up and run, but she was still pinned to the ground against her will. She panted as she struggled to control her panicked breathing.

"You could never understand because you're just a disgusting mortal now! I'm trying my best to think of a way to fix this, yet you continue to provoke me!" Chat Noir practically screamed at her, his whole body shaking violently. "Everything would be much easier if you would just accept my soul as yours!"

"No!" Marinette yelled back. "I can't do that! It's not fair!" The words left her mouth without her even thinking. They just slipped out automatically before Marinette could stop them. The words just felt so natural to say as they slipped out past her lips without any thought on Marinette's part.

"Why can't you see that I'm doing this for us?! That I'm just trying to protect you?! All I want to do is keep you safe! If we mark each other, we can be together forever! I can ensure your safety. I can't lose you like I lost _her._ "

"I said no! I don't want to subject you to something like that!" Marinette cried out as she tried to push herself off the floor, but to no avail. The invisible force that had complete control over her pushed her back down to the ground again, forcing Marinette to bow down before the demon that was hovering above her and snarling down at her like a terrifying, wild panther. Her words only seemed to enrage Chat Noir even more

"WHY NOT?!" Chat Noir snarled. "IT'S ALL I'VE EVER WANTED! I THOUGHT THAT YOU FELT THE SAME! INSTEAD ALL YOU DO IS PLAY GAMES WITH ME LIKE NORMAL!"

"Chat, please! I'm sorry! Please stop it! You're scaring me!" Marinette begged, crying out in fear.

Chat Noir's eyes suddenly widened and the dark aura around him immediately disappeared. He dropped back down to the ground with a terrified and devastated expression on his face. Marinette gasped as she felt herself regain complete control over her body. She lay flat on the floor for a few seconds, in a state of complete and utter shock, before she managed to snap out of it. She panted wildly as she scurried to push herself as far away from Chat Noir as possible. She curled up into the corner of the room, tucking her knees under her chin and wrapping her arms around her legs, trying to make herself look as small and non-threatening as possible. Her whole body shook with fear and she didn't dare speak.

Meanwhile, Chat Noir stared at her, looking completely horrified. His hands were clamped over his mouth and his own body also trembled. His posture was completely hunched over. Gone was the terrifying image of a demon hovering above her. Now it was replaced by a terrified looking boy who looked completely disgusted with himself. His knees buckled beneath him and he collapsed onto her bedroom floor. His green eyes become distant as he stared off into space, his eyes following objects that Marinette could not see. This only scared her even more. He looked complete crazy and unhinged. This was a side to him that she had not seen yet.

"Not again…Ladyb – Marinette…I'm so sorry…" Chat Noir gasped out, sounding terror-stricken.

Marinette said nothing as she continued to watch him. She relaxed her position slightly, but her heart continued to pound in her chest and her throat continued to close up in fear. It didn't escape her notice that he had nearly called her Ladybug again, but Marinette decided it would be best not to mention anything regarding her this time. She didn't want to provoke him again. What just happened had been terrifying and Marinette had no desire to go through that again.

"I just…I just lost it…" Chat Noir explained, "It was like being back there again. I couldn't take it. You really scared me and I just…I lashed out and I'm sorry. I should never have exposed you to that."

Marinette bit her lip and looked away. "You really frighten me," she whispered out at last.

"I know," Chat Noir choked out, "I'm really sorry."

They both sat in silence for a while. The lights on the room had stopped flickering and now merely glowed dimly, providing Marinette with just enough light to gaze at Chat Noir who was slumped down on the floor a couple of feet away from her. He had wrapped his arms around his chest, almost as if he was trying to hold himself together. Ladybug really did seem to be a sore spot for him. Marinette chewed on her lip even more as she pondered what had just happened between them. She had never really properly considered the idea that demons had feelings. But clearly they did. Chat Noir borderline sobbing on her bedroom floor was proof of that. The topic of Ladybug really upset him and Marinette had just taunted him with it. She had been thoughtless. He told her to stop, yet she carried on.

Taking a deep breath, Marinette shakily stood up and slowly slid her way towards Chat Noir. He barely looked up as she approached and Marinette gasped as she saw a lone tear drip down from his cheek and onto his leg. He tried to hide it, but it was too late. Marinette had seen. He was crying? Marinette had made him cry. She almost stumbled back in shock at that realisation. She was still mad that he had lost it the way he had and was still mad that he had frightened her, but…he hadn't hurt her, despite the fact he easily could have. Marinette had clearly deeply upset him, though Marinette couldn't help but feel like maybe he kind of deserved it. The way he had been making her feel...now maybe he got a hint of that. Granted she had provoked him and upset him, but that didn't justify what he just did. But still, Marinette knew that if she did eventually want to get answers, she would have to be the bigger person. Pushing him clearly wasn't the answer. She would just have to find some other way.

Slowly and shakily, Marinette placed a hand lightly on Chat Noir's shoulder. He shivered at her touch before he twisted around to look up at her in shock and confusion. Marinette bit her lip and continued to stand there awkwardly, not really knowing what to do next. It felt just like being back in the ally way earlier today. She closed her eyes and sighed, wishing she didn't have to say these next words, but knew she would have to for both of their sakes at the moment.

"I'm sorry," Marinette whispered, "I'll drop the subject of Ladybug. I had no idea that it upset you so much."

Chat Noir's eyes dropped back down to the floor as he let out a small sigh. Marinette found it hard to believe that this Chat Noir was the same one that had been hovering in her room only a few minutes ago. Now he looked incredibly vulnerable and fragile. His hand then slowly reached up and delicately pressed itself on top of Marinette's. The sensation of his leather gloved hand against her own caused her to shiver slightly, though Marinette tried her best to remain calm.

"I don't understand what happened, but –"

However, Marinette was quickly cut off by Chat Noir as he gripped hold of her hand even tighter.

"I promise I'll explain everything to you in time," Chat Noir sighed longingly, "I just need to figure everything out for myself first. This is new territory for me too and I don't know what's going on. Once I have all the answers, you will too."

"I don't understand?" Marinette frowned in confusion.

Chat Noir chuckled humourlessly. "That makes two of us, purrincess."

Marinette rolled her eyes, but was secretly glad that the joking, playful side of Chat Noir had decided to return. She would put up with any side of him other than the side she had just witnessed. In that state, he was absolutely terrifying and only served to remind her of the power imbalance between the two of them. He was a demon and he owned her soul. Marinette needed to tread carefully and she kept seeming to forget that. She needed to escape this situation but she also needed to make sure she didn't lose her life in the process.

"I would never hurt you, you know," Chat Noir whispered as if he just read her mind, staring straight ahead as he suddenly seemed unable to look at her. "I know that must have been scary, but please know that I could never lay a finger on you." He finally turned around to smile at her softly. "You're far too precious to me." He reached up to moved a stray strand of dark hair behind her ear.

Marinette shook her head. "Well you can't go scaring me like that, I won't stand for it."

"I know and I'm sorry." His voice then turned slightly dark. "Sometimes it's easy to forget that you're human and that demons can be terrifying to you. And that was only me _mildly_ losing my temper. I dread to think of your reaction of me at my angriest." Chat Noir chuckled.

Marinette, however, merely frowned and wrapped her arms around herself.

"Sorry," Chat Noir apologised once he realised Marinette didn't share the same sense of humour as him over the situation before he looked down sadly. "Sometimes it's easy to forget everything. If only I could."

Chat Noir then abruptly turned around and pulled Marinette down into a tight embrace. Marinette remained stunned and frozen in shock as Chat Noir clung to her just like he had done earlier that day. He buried his face in her hair and Marinette's arms remained limp at her side as she struggled to think of what to do. In the end, she decided to just let Chat Noir get it out of his system, relaxing in his arms slightly, though she did not return his embrace. Chat Noir didn't seem to mind though. Marinette wasn't sure how long they sat there like that, but it was finally beginning to be too much for her and Chat Noir was showing no signs of wanting to pull away anytime soon. In the end, Marinette slowly extracted herself and thankfully, Chat Noir let her go. He seemed to be finally learning her boundaries, not clinging to her as much as he did last night and now seemed to respect her personal space a little bit more.

He looked so much like a lost a frightened little boy right now that Marinette almost did get the urge to just bend back down again and wrap her arms around him in comfort. But she just couldn't bring herself to do so. No matter how much Chat Noir insisted that he wouldn't hurt her, what had just happened was definitely going to haunt Marinette for a while. She had never experienced anything so scary. As much as she wanted to, she knew she wouldn't be forgetting about it for a while. She could still feel the ghost of a hand as it reached inside her and took control of her entire body. Chat Noir had done that. And she wasn't sure she could trust him after what he had just done. She wanted Chat Noir to leave right now. She wanted some space to think. But she knew that he wouldn't.

Leaving Chat Noir sat in a foetal position on the floor, Marinette looked around the room to assess the damage. A lot of her possessions had been sent flying to the other side of her room. Her computer kept flickering on and off and there were papers everywhere. Her parents were going to kill her when they saw this mess! Her lights had been on and her windows were open and Marinette couldn't help but wonder in horror if anyone had seen what had just happened. Her parents clearly seemed to be oblivious, otherwise they would have run upstairs. Though Marinette was shocked that her parents hadn't heard all the shouting.

Sighing to herself, Marinette began to pick all of her papers up while Chat Noir remained on the floor, once again seeming to be in a trance-like state. She didn't really feel like acknowledging him right now. Whatever was going on in his head, she was going to leave him alone for now. She had learnt her lesson after what had just happened. As desperate as she was for answers, she didn't want to repeat that experience again. She was still incredibly shaken up over it. Her hands were still trembling and her heart refused to calm down. She really needed to find a way out of this madness.

Marinette drifted towards one of her bedroom windows as she continued to pick objects up off her floor before she peered out of the window just to see if anyone might have seen what had just gone on. Luckily, the streets outside her apartment looked complete empty and Marinette almost sighed with relief before that sigh became caught in her throat. All she could do was make a choking sound as she caught sight of a lamppost flickering in the distance. Two shadowing figures stood underneath the light. It was impossible to determine their features, but for some reason, Marinette could sense that both of them were staring directly at her.

Freezing in fear, Marinette stared back, a deep feeling of terror building deep insider her as her instincts screamed at her that something wasn't quite right. The figures stood unnaturally still which only served to freak Marinette out even more. Marinette gasped and stumbled backwards slightly, too terrified to look at them for much longer. Her heart lurched in her chest before she yelped as she suddenly felt the presence of someone behind her. However, she relaxed slightly once she realised it was just Chat Noir and actually felt slightly and weirdly comforted when he placed his hands on her shoulders.

"What is it?" He asked in confusion, though there was a serious edge to his voice. He could tell that something was wrong and Marinette quickly looked back out of the window towards where the two dark, distant figures had been standing. Marinette gasped once she realised they had vanished. Her eyes scanned the entire neighbourhood, but there was no sign of them anywhere. It sent another wave of terror washing over Marinette like a large tidal wave that kept pulling her under. Maybe she had just been seeing things?

"N-nothing," Marinette stuttered, "I just…I thought I saw something that's all."

Chat Noir looked out of the window suspiciously, frowning as his eyes scanned the street. He looked incredibly nervous all of a sudden, his face turning even more pale despite likely having no blood flow in his body. He bit his lip and Marinette watched him carefully. She didn't like the fact that Chat Noir looked so nervous.

"Marinette…" Chat Noir asked slowly, not turning around to look at her, "What did you think you saw?"

"Just…I dunno, two men I guess?" Marinette responded as best as she could, her voice shaking slightly. "Why? Is something wrong?"

"What did they look like?" Chat Noir ignored her question.

"I couldn't see," Marinette admitted nervously, her mind instantly going back to the two men that he seemed to be following her earlier that day. It couldn't be, could it? That thought made Marinette grow even more nervous. But the last thing she wanted was for Chat Noir to get even more protective over her. At this rate, he'd probably kidnap her and hide her away somewhere. It was probably nothing. It was just two guys standing at the end of the street. It probably just scared Marinette because she was already so on edge. People were entitled to stand at the end of the street. It didn't necessarily mean they were dangerous or up to no good.

"It was likely nothing," Marinette reassured him, "Just two guys." Though Marinette didn't know who she was trying to comfort more; Chat Noir or herself.

She watched as Chat Noir continued to glare out of the window before he finally moved away, though he still looked nervous and on edge. It looked like he was deep in thought as he sat back down on Marinette's desk chair. While he was distracted, Marinette gazed back out of the window, her heart pounding as she did so, expecting something to jump out at her at any second. But nothing happened. Maybe Marinette really was just being overly paranoid. After all, no one had any good reason to be stalking her.

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 **Once again, I ended having to split this chapter. So the previous chapter, this chapter and the next one were all meant to be one chapter. How it got divided into three, I'll never know, but I guess it gives me the chance to flesh things out a little bit. I just hope I pulled it off okay. Massive shout out to ChibiRinni for helping me out with this chapter while I was tearing my hair out and having a mental breakdown. You truly are a one in a million friend. Please feel free to leave a review as it helps me out a lot and inspires me to keep writing. See you guys next Friday!**


	10. Midnight Confrontation

**Hi everyone, I hope that you're all doing okay? I'm so so so sorry about vanishing and not updating for a while and I'm really sorry to those that I worried. I have a lot going on in my life at the moment, stuff that has been very difficult for me to face and get through. I can't really go into details, but please trust me that vanishing wasn't really my choice and that I had good reason to disappear. But I will never abandon my stories. I love them too much so you have nothing to worry about there. Thank you to the people who expressed concern for my welfare, but I'm fine for the most part. Everything's okay enough for me to write again anyway.**

 **Thank you so much for the reviews on the last chapter! I really appreciate any and all feedback as it helps me out a great deal! I never expected this story to explode the way that it did, but I am very grateful to everyone who takes the time to read it. Thank you for being patient with me over these past few weeks. Once again I really am sorry for keeping you guys waiting so long and disappearing without warning.**

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 **Chapter 10: Midnight Confrontation  
**

Marinette wasn't sure what to do. She wasn't sure what to say. All she could do was sit still in the middle of her bed, frozen in place by her intense fear and confusion. She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but she knew it had to be incredibly late at this point. The whole apartment was quiet and all Marinette could hear was the accelerated beating of her heart as she remained lost in her terrified thoughts, flinching at any sudden, slight sound. Every so often, her eyes would flicker down towards Chat Noir who remained sat on her desk chair, his eyes distant as he stared blankly out of her bedroom window. Every so often, his black, cat-like ear would twitch at any slight movement Marinette would make. His arms were folded sternly across his chest and the rest of his body remained so still that Marinette wasn't sure he was even breathing.

She studied his face carefully while he was distracted and seemingly lost in his own world. He looked so human, yet not human at the same time. What had happened earlier that evening was enough proof that he wasn't human. The raw power that had radiated from him…the mere memory had Marinette shuddering in fear again. It was clear that she had underestimated just how powerful he was. The way she had collapsed before him…how had that happened? It was like Marinette had been completely possessed, her body forced to move against her will. Feeling disgusted and invaded, Marinette pushed those thoughts to one side as best as she could. From now on, Marinette knew that she would definitely have to be careful.

Hoping to try and fathom out the enigma that was Chat Noir, Marinette couldn't help but stare at him more intensely, her eyes looking him up and down in a futile hope that maybe the answers would just hit her out of nowhere. It didn't seem like Chat Noir would be telling her the truth anytime soon. But why? The frustrating thought caused Marinette to grind her teeth together and press her lips into a tight, firm line. It wasn't as if she could just ask him now either because look where that had gotten her earlier.

Looking at Chat Noir right now, Marinette honestly wouldn't have guessed that he was capable of behaving in such a way. He didn't necessarily look threatening or imposing. Sure, the way he looked was pretty intimidating, especially his glowing, green eyes, but he still looked human enough for Marinette to accidentally get too comfortable around him sometimes. She had pushed him too far today. He had insisted to her earlier that not all demons were bad and he tried to be good, but after the way he had acted earlier, Marinette wasn't too sure. How could she trust what he said to her? He was a demon who had essentially tricked her into giving her soul to him.

Marinette then let out a small sigh and looked down. Technically, he hadn't really tricked her if Marinette was being completely honest with herself. She had been stupid. He had simply asked her the question, and Marinette, thinking this was all one big joke, had foolishly agreed to the deal. Apparently now all she needed to do was accept his soul in return. Maybe she should just agree. She had already lost her own soul and Chat Noir essentially had said during the Ouija board session that it would mean she would have her very own demon. But now that Marinette thought about it, what exactly did that mean? How would this soul exchange work? What would it do? Marinette wasn't sure she wanted to find out. It could probably get her into even more trouble than she was already in. Plus, as much as she hated Chat Noir for getting her into this situation and treating her the way that he did, she wasn't sure that she could just take someone's soul. Until now, she didn't even think souls existed. The fact that he wanted such a fate made her incredibly suspicious. He must gain something out of it. Therefore, Marinette was going to refuse to give in. If Chat Noir was going to play games with her and keep secrets from her, then why should Marinette just go along with everything that he said? Why should she do as she's told? If he wanted her soul, then fine. But rest assured, Marinette was going to make things as difficult for him as possible.

Almost as if he was sensing her thoughts, Chat Noir's green eyes abruptly flickered towards her. Embarrassed over being caught staring at him, Marinette's cheeks grew warm and she quickly looked away and back down at her hands that were folded in her lap. Her fingers trembled slightly as she could sense Chat Noir staring at her from her desk down below. He hadn't said a word to her since she had spotted those two men standing outside. Since then, he had remained at her desk, staring out of the window, almost as if he was on guard. That thought put Marinette on edge even more. Did Chat Noir know something she didn't? She certainly wouldn't put it passed him.

The air had remained incredibly heavy and awkward between them, neither of them seemingly knowing what to say to each other, both lost in their own thoughts. Marinette was beginning to get over the initial shock of having a demon stalking her and now it was replaced with nothing more than pure fear. But everything her instincts were screaming at her to do, to run, to hide, she knew she wouldn't get away with it. Chat Noir had managed to find her earlier. Though looking back, she was honestly surprised that it took him as long as it did. Given how weirdly obsessed he seemed to be with her, it was weird how he hadn't tried following her straight away.

However, Marinette's deep thoughts were soon interrupted by another deep yawn. Her eyes were growing heavier and heavier, though she knew there was no way she would be able to sleep. Not with a demon hanging around in her room. Though sadly, Marinette was pretty sure it didn't look like he would be leaving anytime soon. Her blue eyes flickered back up to look at him as subtly and quickly as possible, before looking back down again as she caught him staring blankly out of her window once again. Should she tell him to leave? Marinette really wanted him to; she needed to get some sleep. However, just simply telling him to leave would probably make him mad, so Marinette knew she would have to tread carefully.

"It's getting late," Marinette announced, trying to keep her voice from shaking, "maybe you should head home or something? Do demons even have homes?"

Chat Noir blinked, his eyes refocusing again before he turned around to stare at her. It seemed to take him a few seconds to process her question before he frowned and looked away from her. "It hasn't felt like home in a long time," he mumbled, suddenly looking melancholic which took Marinette off guard.

"Why?" Marinette couldn't help but ask.

Chat Noir chuckled humourlessly before shaking his head slightly. "It doesn't matter."

Marinette had to fight off crying out in frustration. Instead, she took a small, deep breath and swallowed her fear before shuffling towards the ladders that lead off her bed and climbed down. Chat Noir watched her with a confused, but suspicious expression. Marinette settled and sat down on one of the lower steps so that she could sit facing Chat Noir. All the while, she tried to keep her panicked heart rate under as much control as possible. She didn't want to appear frightened in front of him. She wanted Chat Noir to feel like he could trust her so that maybe she could finally get some information out of him. Plus, he did genuinely look sad right now and Marinette could never resist being there for someone in need, demon or not.

"Y'know, you can't keep bottling things up like this. It's not good for you." Marinette frowned at him.

Chat Noir growled lowly to himself and leaned back in the chair. "You'd never understand anyway, you're just a mortal."

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Try me. Even if I don't understand, you still might feel better if you get it all off your chest."

Chat Noir seemed to consider her for a moment as he frowned at her suspiciously again, narrowing his eyes at her. Marinette blinked at him and tried to look as innocent and friendly as possible, despite how petrified she was feeling right now. She was terrified of pushing him over the edge again, but at the same time, Marinette just couldn't cope with not having answers. If she behaved like a person Chat Noir felt like he could open up to, then maybe Marinette would finally get her well deserved answers. She was sick of being treated like this. She was tired of Chat Noir looking down his nose at her simply because she was mortal. She really didn't get this strange demon. He truly was some sort of walking paradox. He acted all obsessed with her and then kept criticising her for being mortal.

Whatever Chat Noir saw in her eyes, he seemed to relent slightly as his shoulders slumped and his black cat ears drooped. He unfolded his arms and sighed. Marinette waited patiently, curious as to what had a demon of all creatures feeling so sad. While watching him, Marinette couldn't help but feel a little bit sorry for him. Right now, he looked like a scared, lost little boy. It almost made Marinette forget how much he had terrified her earlier. _Almost._

"I just…I don't want to go home. It's that simple," Chat Noir explained, though Marinette could tell there was a lot more to it than that. He couldn't look her in the eye all of a sudden and Marinette wished she knew why a demon would feel the need to keep so many secrets. It was strange. Right now, Chat Noir was almost acting like a normal teenager. Was he a teenager? Marinette wasn't too sure. He looked like one, but he was a demon, so his appearance could all just be an illusion.

"Hmmm, I have a feeling there is a lot more to it than that," Marinette remarked suspiciously.

Chat Noir sighed. "I'm just miserable there. I haven't been happy for the longest time. I've been searching for something for so long and…and it's all my fault. Things back home just haven't been the same since…" Chat Noir trailed off and grimaced before closing his eyes and looking away. He bit his lip and Marinette's frown deepened as she watched him.

"And have you found what you were looking for?" Marinette slowly and nervously inquired.

Chat Noir opened his eyes and turned to gaze at her sadly. The deep and intense way he stared into her eyes made Marinette feel increasingly nervous and uncomfortable. It was always like he could see inside her, and all of her secrets and insecurities were laid bare before him. It was like he was searching her again. Searching deep inside her for something that Marinette was completely unaware of. However, whatever he found only seemed to make Chat Noir even more sorrowful. He looked away and down at the floor again.

"Yes and no," he finally answered.

Marinette sighed. "There you go again with the riddles. I really don't understand you."

"That's probably a good thing," Chat Noir mumbled lowly, though Marinette still caught what he said.

Marinette growled to herself. "I thought you said you tried to be a good demon?" Those two words rolling off her tongue felt so strange. Those two words looked and felt like a complete oxymoron. They almost didn't belong together, but right now Marinette was willing to try and give him the benefit of the doubt. Chat Noir hadn't hurt her yet. _Yet._ He had scared her to death a few times, sure, but she had to admit that so far, he hadn't seemed to have put her in harm's way. She would have thought that if Chat Noir was truly an evil demon with nothing but feelings of contempt for a mere mortal's life, then he would have hurt her or killed her by now. Especially if he owned her soul. However, Marinette refused to get deeply embroiled in her confusing thoughts again. She would only end up growing frustrated and would probably provoke Chat Noir again. She _really_ didn't want to go through that ordeal again.

Chat Noir snorted. "I try to be. But it doesn't mean I've not done things that I regret." His eyes grew distant again, watching images and memories that Marinette could not see. Once again he looked completely lost and Marinette found herself feeling slightly sorry for him. He no longer appeared before her as an intimidating demon, and Marinette found herself relaxing slightly, her eyebrows drooping into a look of sympathy as she stared at Chat Noir's melancholic face.

"We all do things we regret," Marinette sighed as she stared down at the mark on the back of her hand. She flexed her hand slightly, watching as the mark moved with her skin, tears prickling the corners of her eyes as she gazed down at it. All of this really was real. It still continued to hit Marinette like a ton of bricks crashing down on top of her. She belonged to a demon now. Though Marinette still wished she knew why and for what purpose.

"Yeah, but," Chat Noir breathed out shakily, sounding almost like he was about to cry, "I messed up big time. I was stupid and thoughtless. I had already lost someone who meant so much to me, then I lost the only other important person in my life. Someone who I loved more than life itself."

Marinette blinked and stared at him in shock. The orange light from the streetlamp outside reflected off his face as he stared longingly out of the window, his eyes glistening slightly. He sounded so guilty, so devastated. It was clear now that he had suffered a horrible loss in his life and Marinette couldn't help but feel slightly guilty for pushing him on matters. Was it this Ladybug girl? Was she the one he had lost? But…she was an immortal, wasn't she? At least that was the impression she got from that article Alya showed her. But then who was the other person that Chat Noir was talking about?

Before she could stop herself, Marinette found herself slowly and shakily placing a hand on his shoulder. He jumped slightly at the contact before he closed his eyes and smiled softly to himself. He slowly reached up a hand himself and gently placed it on top of her own. Marinette shivered slightly at the contact, but kept her hand where it was, hoping to try and put her fear to one side and comfort Chat Noir as best as she could. Once again, she wondered if being friendly with him and earning his trust might be the key to getting the answers that she wanted out of him. Maybe if she got him to like her, he might feel sorry for her and decide to let her soul go and release her from this awful deal. Marinette was willing to try anything at this point.

"I'm sorry, I had no idea," Marinette whispered as gently as she could.

"It's okay," Chat Noir whispered back, his voice cracking slightly with emotion, "you weren't to know."

"I can't even begin to imagine how you must be feeling. Is that why you no longer feel at home anymore? Because the people you loved the most aren't there anymore?" However, Marinette panicked and quickly added, "it's okay, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. We can change the subject."

"No no, it's okay." Chat Noir's eyes widened as he clung onto her hand tighter. "It's very rare that I get to talk about how I feel. I don't really feel like there's anywhere I belong. I don't belong in the netherworld anymore, but I don't belong here among mortals either. Home has been…awful for the longest time…but then…it only got worse. It was like all the life has been sucked out of it."

"Isn't there anyone at home who can help and be there for you? Friends? Family?" Marinette then frowned as she thought for a second. "Wait…do demons even have family?"

Chat Noir chuckled slightly. "Yes, demons can have families."

"Huh, who knew." Marinette had to stifle a giggle at the image of Chat Noir with parents, siblings, maybe even a wife with children of his own. The demon in front of her didn't really strike her as the domestic type. It made her wonder what other demons looked like. Did they all look like Chat Noir? Did some look more human than others? Or was Chat Noir just making himself look slightly more human while hiding his true form so Marinette wouldn't freak out as much or something.

"Do _you_ have a family?" Marinette asked curiously.

Chat Noir bit his lip and looked away. "There's just my father and me."

"No mother?" Marinette questioned, feeling confused.

Chat Noir remained silent.

That's when it finally clicked with Marinette and her eyes widened and her heart dropped guiltily into her stomach. "Oh Chat Noir, I'm so sorry…I'm so stupid sometimes…I'm really sorry," Marinette gasped out as she shuffled closer towards him, their hands still interconnected on his shoulder.

Chat Noir merely shrugged, though his expression gave away the pain he was truly feeling. "It's okay," he muttered, "it was a long time ago."

"I didn't even know demons could…y'know…I thought you were all immortal." Marinette murmured in shock, unable to process the information that had just been revealed to her. So…demons could…die? How? Were they truly not immortal after all?

"In the sense that we don't age once we're fully grown and can live forever as long as we're careful, yes, demons are immortal," Chat Noir explained, "However we can be killed. It's easier for another demon to kill a demon than it is for a mortal to do so, but it is possible for a mortal to kill a demon."

"How?" Marinette gasped.

Chat Noir turned to glare at her. "You're not thinking of getting any ideas are you?"

Marinette glared back. "That's not funny. I could never bring myself to kill someone."

Chat Noir chuckled, "I know, I was only joking."

Growling, Marinette snatched her hand away and folded her arms across her chest. "Well it wasn't a very funny joke."

"Okay, sorry, calm down." Chat Noir rolled his eyes before muttering something under his breath about someone never changing. It was so low, that Marinette wasn't even sure she had heard anything at all. Maybe she hadn't. Marinette decided to simply brush it off. Instead, she remained sat on the small ladder that led up to her bed with her arms folded, waiting for Chat Noir to get back to explaining things.

"In a way, mortals are the true immortals," Chat Noir continued, and when Marinette frowned in confusion, he quickly explained further, "immortals have mortal souls while mortals have immortal souls. When you kill an immortal, they can't go on into an afterlife.A demon's soul is made up of two parts. There's the actual soul and then there's the essence that makes us immortal, but that essence corrupts the soul and weakens it. That's the price for immortality and for power. They can grow a new body if their soul isn't encased in something. However, the pure soul part will quickly die so it needs to be done quickly. If that happens, the demon can't come back. That's it. They're gone forever. Whereas a mortal soul on the other hand is just a pure soul with no form of corruption from a demon essence. They go on to an afterlife whether that be hell, purgatory, an eternal paradise or reincarnated. A mortal soul lives forever, strong, pure and eternal with no essence to weaken and corrupt it."

"Being a demon sounds awful," Marinette gasped, horrified at the thought of simply ceasing to exist.

Chat Noir shrugged. "It doesn't really bother most of us since the chance of actually being killed and then our soul withering away is incredibly slim," he then looked down sadly, "my mother was just one of the very rare unlucky ones. But of course there are stories of those who fear it so much that they decide to become mortal."

Marinette's eyes widened. "Is that even possible?"

Chat Noir stared at her intensely. "It must be."

"What do you mean?" Marinette asked, confused.

"For the longest time, I thought that it was just a legend. That it wasn't possible to separate the essence from the soul – to make the soul strong and immortal again. I always figured that surely the demon body would be destroyed by such a process. That the demon would die instantly from not having a body that can sustain mortal life. We have no heartbeat after all. No need to eat, no need to sleep. A mortal wouldn't last five minutes in the netherworld either and we need permission to enter the mortal world. We can't just come and go as we please unless permission is at first granted and then the portal is left open for us. Just like you did that very night with the Ouija board. However, I still would have been able to come and go as I please seen as we have a deal. This mark – my mark," he pointed to the back of her right hand, "keeps me linked to this world. Because a mortal now belongs to me, I can come and go as I please, the mark acting as like a ticket so to speak."

Marinette swallowed, her heart beginning to race at how terrifying this whole thing sounded. Her head began to pound slightly and fuzzy images raced to the forefront of her mind. Strange, ghostly feelings of pain washed over her. However, she quickly shook those thoughts away, her eyes darting down to the mark on her hand. Tears once again stung her eyes as they threatened to fall.

"B-but you said the deal wasn't finalised…" Marinette trailed off, unable to look at him as fear started to build up deep inside her again.

"It isn't."

"What happens if I do accept your soul? Why would you want such a thing? What's in all of this for you?" Marinette tried to keep her tone as calm as possible, trying to hide as much of her fear and anger as she could. When Chat Noir remained silent, she finally forced herself to peek at him out of the corner of her eyes. He was simply sat there looking at her oddly before he smirked.

"I don't know. Wanna find out?" His smirk widened, his excitement almost growing into pure mania.

"What do you mean you don't know?!" Marinette shrieked.

"I have a rough idea," Chat Noir shrugged, "I knew what I wanted to get out of it, but as for the other details, I have no idea. Let's find out together," he urged, "all you have to do is just say the word."

"No!" Marinette yelled.

"Don't you want a demon to belong to you?" Chat Noir purred, blinking innocently at her.

"No!" Marinette yelled again, "I don't want any of this!"

Chat Noir's face turned dark as his almost deranged smile morphed into a frown. His shoulders slumped and his eyes narrowed at her, causing Marinette to gulp. However, Chat Noir soon plastered on a grin again as he reached one hand over and gripped Marinette's chin, forcing her to look at him. Marinette squeaked in fear, her heart leaping into her throat as she was forced to look into Chat Noir's glowing, green eyes. His grip was strong, yet gentle, but Marinette knew there was no way she would be able to yank her face free. Instead, she tried to face him as best as she could, trying to show as little fear as possible.

"Fine," Chat Noir finally spoke. His tone was playful, though there was a serious and desperate edge to it. "Have it your way. But until then, you're just going to have to deal with me having complete and utter power over you. You've chosen the wrong demon to play around with, Marinette."

"Is that a threat?" Marinette glared at him.

Chat Noir smirked. "It's a promise."

Marinette stiffened at the conviction of his words. All she could do was stare into his eyes, held prisoner by one mere hand. But she refused to be bullied into accepting his side of the deal. She didn't want to plunge into the unknown and risk getting herself even deeper into this. However, as Chat Noir continued to stare at her, his eyes seemed to soften slightly and his grip on her chin loosened. His eyes grew sad once again and his face began drawing closer and closer…

Marinette shrieked and pulled herself out of his grip, falling backwards off her ladder before she quickly righted herself and backed away. She glared at Chat Noir who simply sighed in defeat before folding his arms across his chest and staring out of her window again with a frustrated frown on his face. Was…was he trying to kiss her? Kiss her _again?!_

That's when it hit her.

All the times he had accidentally called her Ladybug…the moment they first met in her room yesterday night when he had kissed her as if they had been lovers for years. The way he held her and behaved around her. He…he had been in love with this Ladybug girl. And now…he thought that _she_ was Ladybug?! Marinette wanted to slap herself for not figuring all of this out sooner. It was all so obvious! That must have been the reason Chat Noir had chosen her. He thought that she was this Ladybug girl who he was in love with. Chat Noir was even more insane than she had previously thought. How dare he do this to her!

"You were in love with Ladybug, weren't you?" Marinette snapped.

Chat Noir's eyes widened. "What?"

"This Ladybug girl who keeps getting mentioned. You were in love with her!"

Chat Noir's expression darkened and the lights flickered, but Marinette ignored it.

"And you think I'm Ladybug don't you?" Marinette shrieked. "Or you're at least projecting her onto me. She was the other person you lost, wasn't she?!"

"Enough," Chat Noir growled lowly and menacingly.

"Well then get it into your head kitty-cat! I'm not her and I never will be!"

"I SAID ENOUGH!" Chat Noir exploded. The bulbs in Marinette's lights burst and the room grew incredibly cold again as it was plunged into darkness. That strange sensation took hold of Marinette's body again, locking her in place and she cried out as she tried to force her body to move, to run away from Chat Noir. He stared at her, his face full of nothing but pure rage and pain as he bared his teeth at her. Marinette glared back, refusing to be intimidated.

However, that only seemed to make things worse.

Marinette gasped as once again, her body was forced slowly to the floor against her will. It was like someone had reached inside her, using her as nothing more than a puppet, slipping their hand inside of the now hollow shell that was her body. It had to be Chat Noir who was doing this to her. That made her feel even more outraged and violated. He was controlling her body. The thought completely repulsed her as she tried with all of her might to fight back. But the more she thought, the more the pressure around her body grew, making Marinette feel like she was about to be flattened against the floor at any second. It was like they were locked in a battle of wills right now.

"I warned you not to speak anymore about her!" Chat Noir snarled at her.

"Don't…tell me…what to do!" Marinette responded breathlessly as she continued to try and fight back.

"Stop being so stubborn!" Chat Noir yelled wildly.

"Says the guy stubbornly refusing to believe that I'm not his dead girlfriend."

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!"

Marinette yelped as her arms finally collapsed underneath her before she was pressed against the floor by an invisible force. All of the warmth and energy was sapped out of the room, and Marinette shivered as her breath came out in thin wisps of steam. She knew she had probably crossed the line with that last remark, but she couldn't stand the way Chat Noir was treating her. He claimed he tried to be good, but so far, Marinette wasn't really seeing any evidence of this. All she saw was a ruthless, crazy control freak who liked to have his own way.

"Why do you insist on pushing my buttons!" Chat Noir shrieked.

"Because you're the one who has bound me to you forever, tries to control me and refuses to give me answers that I deserve. You've done nothing but make my life hell since you appeared. You got me into trouble at school, you've made me look crazy in front of people, and you've done nothing but try to make me do whatever _you_ want. You've insulted me, broken my things and terrified me."

Chat Noir froze and instantly the strange sensation that was holding Marinette down disappeared. The room remained dark, but it slowly began to warm up again. Marinette gasped and let her body go limp, moaning slightly as every muscle in her body ached from fighting off Chat Noir's hold over her. She lay there on the floor, unable to bring herself to look at Chat Noir, feeling nothing but anger and disgust towards him. What she had said had been the truth and she refused to take it back.

He remained silent, and finally, Marinette managed to push herself up off the floor and into a sitting position. The mark on the back of her hand burned slightly, though she did her best to ignore it. She looked further away from Chat Noir, making sure that he wouldn't be able to see the tears that had begun to stream down her cheeks. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest and her stomach was in knots.

"Is…is that really how you feel about me?" Chat Noir gasped out.

Marinette didn't turn to look at him as she spoke. "It's not just how I feel. It's the truth."

Chat said nothing as Marinette continued to face the opposite direction. She could feel him staring at her, though she refused to turn around and meet his eyes. She just couldn't. She hated him too much right now after everything he had done. Her life was ruined. There really didn't seem to be any way of getting out of this. Nothing would ever be the same again. She would be stuck under Chat Noir's control for the rest of her life. However, that didn't mean she was going to make it pleasant for him, especially after everything he had done.

The heavy silence between them hung in the air for a few moments longer, before Chat Noir finally awkwardly spoke.

"Don't – ummm – don't mortals need to get sleep?"

Marinette sighed. "Like you care."

"Of course I care!" Chat Noir gasped out.

"I'm not gonna be able to get any sleep until you leave."

"Are you crazy?" Chat Noir shrieked in panic, "there's no way I can leave you alone unprotected!"

Marinette groaned slightly in annoyance, still facing away, unable to look at him. She wished with everything that she had that he would just leave. But she knew that this was a battle that she was very unlikely to win. Chat Noir had accused her of being stubborn, but honestly, he seemed to be just as bad as she was. Why did he behave this way? He had no right to treat her like he did. But she guessed he was a demon after all – it was probably just in his nature or something. And this was probably what Marinette was going to have to put up with for all eternity.

"Like I'm gonna get to sleep with a demon standing guard all night," Marinette huffed.

She heard Chat Noir taking a seat on her desk chair again, the back of it creaking as he leaned back slightly. He sighed as he did so. He had seemed almost…remorseful over what had just happened, but there was no way Marinette was going to let him off the hook for this. Even more so as soon as she heard the playful edge back in his tone as he spoke again.

"Then you're in for a very long night, purrincess."

* * *

 **Poor Marinette. But there were some interesting revelations in this chapter. I wonder what all of your theories are now? I'm super excited to write the next chapter. It's gonna set in motion something you guys have been looking forward to ever since I confirmed that particular plot element would be included in this story, eeeeek. I know this story has probably felt slow these last few chapters, but I'm just trying to establish a few things and the foundation of the story before we zoom off. Things will pick up very soon, I promise. I apologise if this chapter comes off on the rusty side. It has been a while since I properly sat down to work on this story, so I hope it measures up to the previous chapters.**

 **As for updating, well I think I'm gonna have to abandon the whole Friday thing for now. I'm still going to try and update around once a week, so don't worry. The days will just be more random until I can get myself sorted out. Anyway, please feel free to leave a review and let me know your thoughts. It really helps me out a lot. See you guys soon.**


	11. Weird Bonding Session

**Yaaay! I managed to update within a week this time! I'm slowly getting back to normal again – well as normal as possible for me – so here's hoping I can keep up weekly uploads. I hope that you've all been having a good week! I have some cool and exciting news that I'll save until the end of my last author's note if anyone is interested. But for now, thank you so much for all of your amazing reviews! They are a huge help to me, you have no idea! It's also lovely to see new faces in the review section, so welcome! I'm glad that you all seem to be enjoying the story so far! Also, thank you to those who have followed this story and added it to their favourites.**

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Weird Bonding Session**

Being sat bundled under her covers on her bedroom floor, with nothing but dull candlelight to light up her room, really made Marinette feel like she was truly part of a horror movie right now. It would be almost comical if the whole ordeal wasn't so absolutely terrifying and confusing. Once again it almost made Marinette feel like she was having some sort of out of body experience – that she wasn't in the correct realm of reality right now. This whole thing felt like nothing more than a strange nightmare. But Marinette never woke up. Instead, the nightmare continued, leaving Marinette praying that she would be jolted awake at any second by her alarm. No such luck though. She had to accept that this was her reality now. That was the only way she was going to get herself out of this mess.

The room was still a little on the cold side thanks to Chat Noir's presence and recent temper tantrum. Though Marinette was now starting to warm up slightly, wrapped up tightly in her blankets while remaining sat on the floor. She didn't dare get up and sit on her bed. Her bed was too restrictive. At least if she sitting where she was, she could get up and run at any second. And she could see her computer screen better, which now filled the room with bright light as she started a random episode of a TV show Alya had kept recommending to her. Not that Marinette would be able to concentrate on it. But at least it provided her room with more light and some background noise to hopefully distract herself from her thoughts and from…Chat Noir.

Before she could stop them, her eyes flickered up towards him again, just like they had been doing most of the night. Instead of being sat down on her desk chair, he had gotten up on his feet sometime ago and was stood by her window, leaning against her wall as he stared out of her window with a blank expression. The candles next to him cast him a warm light, highlighting the sad expression on his face. His shoulders were slightly slumped and his arms were wrapped around his chest, gripping the opposite arm tightly, as if he was trying to keep himself from falling apart. Marinette's heart ached at the sight, but then she frowned as she reminded herself that he was not someone she should feel sorry for. She had at first. She had tried to offer her sympathies and understand him better, but so far all he had done was kick off at her for doing such a thing. If he was going to treat her so terribly, then why should she make such an effort with him?

Marinette's anger was now beginning to far outweigh her fear. Especially now that it seemed even more certain that he indeed wasn't here to kill her. And even if she was to be killed, she refused to go down without a fight. She wasn't going to simply submit to Chat Noir just because he apparently owned her soul now. She was going to try and fight him off with everything she had. Maybe then he'd simply get sick of her and leave her alone. It was the only plan she really had at the moment. She may not be as physically strong as him, but she could at least hope that her will was stronger.

Quickly looking away again, Marinette settled her eyes back on her computer screen forcing herself to concentrate. Chat Noir had burst every lightbulb she had in her room, but luckily her computer seemed undamaged. That thought only caused Marinette's anger to grow even more so she took a deep breath as quietly as possible, hoping that she wouldn't draw any attention to herself. It didn't work, and Marinette saw from the corner of her eye that Chat Noir was now glancing in her direction. Marinette made a point of ignoring him. She narrowed her eyes at the screen, forcing herself to concentrate on it so much, that she actually wasn't properly paying attention to what was going on. All she knew was that two of the characters were fighting.

Feeling Chat Noir's eyes still burning into her, Marinette gripped her blanket as tightly as possible, digging her fingers into the soft material and biting her tongue to stop herself from screaming at him. She wanted him to leave. She was tired and exhausted. She didn't even really have any idea what time it was, but she knew it had to be way past midnight at this point. She had school tomorrow and would likely start falling asleep in class. Then she would be in even more trouble thanks to Chat Noir. He really was here to make her life a living nightmare.

Unfortunately, she didn't see any signs of him leaving anytime soon. He had promised her that he wasn't going to leave and that she was in for a long night. He certainly wasn't kidding. There was no way she could fall asleep with a demon in her room. Who knows what he could get up to while she was asleep. Marinette shook her head, not wanting to think such horrible thoughts. It sent a shiver up her spine and made her feel sick to her stomach. She didn't trust Chat Noir one little bit. Not after everything he had done to her today.

The bright screen made Marinette's eyes ache slightly, but she didn't care. It would hopefully be another distraction from the demon literally standing a few metres away from her, staring her down in the darkness of the corner. He hadn't said anything to her in a while now. Once again he stood guard by her window, though what had Chat Noir so fascinated with the outside world all of a sudden, Marinette wasn't too sure. Maybe Marinette commenting on those figures that had been lurking further down the street had freaked him out or something. Though Marinette couldn't think why and that thought made her slightly uneasy.

What if there _was_ something dangerous out there?

After all, _demons_ existed.

It might even explain why Chat Noir had been so panicky around her. It would explain why he was standing by her window right now, looking like a diligent solider on guard. Why he had panicked so much when she had wandered off after school without telling him. Why he hadn't left her side since. Maybe it was more than a simple obsession with her.

Marinette's heart sank, and she glanced towards Chat Noir again out of the corner of her eye before looking away again within the span of a millisecond. If Chat Noir was a self-proclaimed 'good demon', then what were the evil demons like? Were they as terrifying as myths and legends claimed? Only it seems they were more than myth and legend now. Marinette gulped. Chat Noir had mentioned that he had a father. Was he good or evil? Would he approve of his son hanging around a mortal? Would his presence in her life attract more supernatural creatures towards her? She really didn't like the thought of that and it only made her hate the cat demon even more. He claimed he wanted to protect her, but had he really thought any of this through? So far Marinette had a feeling that was an emphatic no.

Letting out a small, shaky sigh, Marinette stared unblinking at her computer screen again. The characters were continuing to argue and things were only getting more heated and personal. She had completely lost track of what was going on. She stiffened slightly when she finally heard Chat Noir move. She listened as he pushed himself away from the wall, staring at her sheepishly before awkwardly glancing towards the screen, raising a confused eyebrow.

"Human technology is so strange," he finally spoke, but his tone was nervous and uneasy. He shot her an awkward smile, though it faltered when he noticed Marinette furrowing her eyebrows, concentrating on the show and once again making a point of ignoring him.

Anger bubbled up in her chest once again and she pulled her knees up against her chest before resting her chin on them. She pulled the blanket tighter around herself, hoping to seal herself away from the world and away from Chat Noir. All that was visible was her face, her skin almost looking completely white in the glare of her computer.

Chat Noir shifted nervously, clasping his hands behind his back, "So…you like…watching stuff?"

Marinette gritted her teeth together and remained silent, not even glancing up at him.

Seemingly growing more desperate, Chat Noir turned and tapped the top of her computer before laughing, though it seemed forced and fake. "We don't have any of this stuff where I live. We don't really see the need for technology when we can use magic. I guess that's one thing I can give mortals credit for; they sure find clever ways to live despite not being that powerful."

Marinette still said nothing.

"I mean," he laughed awkwardly again, gesturing to her computer, "what even is this thing? When I'd watch the mortal world, I would never really pay attention. It's cool how it can create moving pictures like that."

Normally, Marinette would laugh at the notion of someone being so clueless over technology. This situation would be funny if it were not for her fear and anger. Her heart raced in her chest and she gripped onto her blanket so tightly that her fingers were beginning to ache. Why was he trying to talk to her all of a sudden? Why was he suddenly taking an interest? Especially after everything he had done to her. Did he think that he could just talk to her normally, try and distract her so that everything that had just happened would be forgotten? There was no way Marinette was falling for something like that. She was sick of Chat Noir treating her like she was stupid.

Chat Noir narrowed his eyes slightly at her. "Are you just going to ignore me all night?"

Again, Marinette said nothing.

Chat Noir huffed before his expression relaxed slightly, morphing into one of sorrow and remorse. He rubbed his arm awkwardly and looked down, away from Marinette. However, Marinette kept her eyes firmly locked on her computer. He could look as guilty as he wanted, it wasn't going to change anything. That's if he was actually feeling guilty. He could be faking it for all Marinette knew. She certainly wouldn't put it past him.

"I didn't mean to frighten you…or shout at you…or try to control you…" Chat Noir murmured, "I'm… _horrified_ that you think of me in such a way."

Marinette continued to glare forward silently.

He took a step closer towards her. "I'm not that type of person. I don't know what came over me…well…I do…it's just…uhhhh it's so hard to explain!"

Marinette flinched at the sound of him raising his voice, which only seemed to make Chat Noir panic even more.

"I'm not shouting at _you,_ " Chat Noir explained desperately, "I'm so angry at myself and I keep taking it out on you, and I shouldn't be doing that, I know. But to be honest, you don't really help by pushing my buttons like you do – that's not an insult directed at you!" Chat Noir quickly explained as Marinette finally turned her head to glare at him furiously over his previous remark.

"I mean…you weren't to know and that's partly my fault. But the reason I come across as so crazy and secretive is because…well…I'm just as scared, frustrated and confused as you are. I've never been in a situation like this before and there's things I _want_ to tell you, but…I can't. Not now at least," Chat Noir sighed out.

Marinette chewed her lower lip to once again try to stop herself from screaming in frustration. He kept saying that, but he never really explained why. There didn't really seem to be any reason that Marinette could think of. She felt like she was staring at a huge painting, with so many patches missing that it was hard to discern what she was actually looking at and what was going on. It left her feeling incredibly frustrated. But there was nothing she could do. The only person with the paintbrush, the only person who had all the answers, was Chat Noir. All Marinette could hope, was that he added more to the large painting in front of her, answering all of her questions and providing her with a clear picture of what was going. In the meantime, all Marinette could do was wait and try to piece together what clues she had so far.

However, Chat Noir's defeated sigh quickly brought Marinette back out of her thoughts.

"I've been through a lot to get here," he said hauntingly, "and now that I'm here…I don't know what to do. Everything is not how I expected. I'm lost and confused and I'm terrified over what's going on."

Marinette frowned at him in confusion. He was…scared? Why was he so terrified over what was going on? He had all the power, all the knowledge and all the strength, so what did he have to be scared of? It seemed the more information Chat Noir leaked out, the less things made sense and the more lost and puzzled Marinette became. Chat Noir sure was one giant enigma. But looking at him right now, he didn't look so complicated. Marinette could see he was telling the truth, despite how much her brain still screamed at her not to trust him. But he looked so completely hopeless right now. Even though Marinette found herself feeling slightly more sympathetic towards him, it still didn't excuse everything he had done.

"I know I've terrified you…I'm just not used to dealing with mortals…with this situation. I shouldn't have scared you like I did, I should have tried to be understanding over how you were feeling," Chat Noir admitted, "and…maybe I shouldn't have marked you like I did, but…I was desperate. I wish I could explain. I wish things could be as they were. But they can't, and that's _my_ fault…I realise that now. _I_ did this to you."

Marinette stared at him, completely perplexed. Chat Noir briefly looked up at her and caught her expression before awkwardly looking away and clearing his throat. It was clear that he had realised he had said too much. Though what it was he had just inadvertently admitted to, Marinette wasn't too sure. But she knew that it had to be something big and important judging by the way he had just reacted. Maybe Marinette would just have to rely on this method from now on: Chat Noir accidentally leaking information.

"I'm…I'm sorry," Chat Noir whispered emotionally.

All Marinette could do was blink at him. She swallowed, not really sure what to do or say. It…it seemed like he meant it. But after everything he had done to her, a simple apology wasn't going to fix it. Marinette didn't think she would ever be okay with Chat Noir. He was a demon who had taken her soul after all. She couldn't just magically like him and become friends with him. She would always be looking for ways to try and escape from him. But at least if they were getting along and no longer fighting, it might make her life a little bit easier.

"Apology accepted," Marinette mumbled, loosening her grip on her blanket slightly.

Chat Noir smiled softly at her before it faltered when Marinette held up her hand.

"But that doesn't mean you're forgiven. I don't think I could ever forgive what you've done to me," Marinette stated firmly, looking at him deep in the eye to make sure that he knew that she was being serious and meant business. His eyes became vast green pools of pain, but at least Marinette could see some understanding deep within there. His bottom lip trembled slightly and his ears drooped, but Marinette refused to be swayed by, admittedly, how adorable he looked. But the pain on his face soon became almost unbearable to look at.

Fearing that she might cave into him like Manon's baby-doll eyes, Marinette quickly looked away and focused her attention back to her computer. Chat Noir awkwardly remained stood where he was, seemingly not even daring to move. He simply stared at her with a longing expression, however there was an emotion within his eyes that Marinette couldn't quite fathom. In any case, Chat Noir standing there and staring at her was making her feel incredibly uncomfortable, so she sighed and slowly tapped the space on the floor next to her.

Chat Noir's ears perked up slightly and he eagerly sat next to her in a cat-like position. Marinette kept a close watch on him out of the corner of her eye. He seemed slightly more relaxed, though a great deal of sorrow still seemed to radiate off him. However, he seemed to quickly hide that again behind a playful façade as he turned to smirk at her.

"Y'know, I think we got off on the wrong paw –"

He was quickly cut off by Marinette growling and shooting him a sharp look.

Chat Noir gulped and shrank back slightly. "What?"

Marinette growled again. "First, that has to be the biggest understatement of the century, and second…that is by far the worst pun I have ever heard!"

Chat Noir looked relieved before laughing. "Thank you! I'll be here all week…well, all eternity."

Marinette rolled her eyes and shook her head, trying hard to resist the urge to freak out over his 'eternity' remark. A demon who loved to joke around and make puns...now there was something she never ever expected. He seemed almost…normal. Besides his attire, it was easy to forget sometimes that he was an incredibly powerful demon. He definitely seemed to have calmed down after what had happened earlier. Though Marinette knew that all of that could change in the blink of an eye, so she didn't completely relax while sat next to him. In fact, she probably felt even more tense than when he was stood at the other side of the room watching her. She was beginning to regret offering him a seat on the floor next to her now.

"What is this? Are we watching real people on the magic screen right now?" Chat Noir asked, suddenly transfixed by her computer.

Marinette blinked before she couldn't help but chuckle slightly. "It's not a magic screen," she giggled, "yes and no. They're actors. Real people were recorded pretending to be other people."

"Why would they do that?" Chat Noir turned to stare at her in confusion.

Laughing again, Marinette replied, "entertainment."

"You're entertained by watching people pretend to be other people on a magic screen?"

"I suppose." His comment actually made Marinette pause for thought for a brief moment. It did sound weird when he put it that way. "And it's not a magic screen, it's a computer," she quickly added.

"Whatever," Chat Noir shook his head, turning his attention back to it, "I don't understand how you humans make stuff like this without magic."

Marinette shrugged. "I have no clue either. I'm not a computer expert."

They both remained silent for a moment, watching the show as the male lead planned to woo his female friend. Once again, Chat Noir seemed completely enthralled by what was happening and Marinette finally allowed herself to be fully amused by what was going on. It was so strange to see a demon reacting to a TV show for the first time. She supposed this must all be so strange and new for someone who had never been around modern things before. She did remember that Chat Noir had mentioned that he didn't travel to the mortal realm too often. It made her wonder about Chat Noir's age again.

"Umm, Chat?" Marinette found herself mustering up the courage to ask.

"Mmm?" He still sounded completely distracted by the show.

"You said that demons are immortal and that you have parents…does that mean there are demon children? Do demons age?"

Chat Noir peeled his eyes away from the screen to briefly look at her slightly confused before he went back to watching the show again. "Yeah, demons are born and grow from children to adults. Once we're fully grown, we stop aging. Why?"

"I was just wondering how old you were that's all. You look so young."

"Why thank you," Chat Noir flashed her a smile and placed his finger under his chin, striking a brief pose. Marinette rolled her eyes, repressing a groan. But still, it felt nice to be finally having a civil conversation with him instead of them just screaming at each other. It made Marinette's nerves feel slightly better and she could finally feel her heartrate beginning to slow down to a steady pace. However, her stomach still twisted nervously over being sat so close to a real demon, the memories of what he had done to her a few hours ago still swirling around at the back of her mind.

"In human years, I'm hundreds of years old, but because we can live for an eternity, time passes by differently to us and we age a lot slower. I'm incredibly young by demon standards as I'm only sixteen in demon years," Chat Noir explained.

"Same age as me," Marinette noted as she finally got up to pick up one of the cookies her father had left for her. Now that she was starting to feel slightly calmer, her hunger was starting to catch up with her.

"What are those?" Chat Noir asked, nodding at the cookie in Marinette's hand as she walked back over to sit back down next to him, the plate of cookies in her hand.

"Cookies," Marinette answered as she placed the plate down on the floor between them. "Want to try some?"

Chat Noir thought for a moment before he slowly reached a hand down to pick one of them up. He brought it up to his nose and gently sniffed it, all the while Marinette watched him with a slightly amused expression as she began to nibble on her own cookie. Unlike last time, Chat Noir didn't seem to recoil at the scent and cautiously brought it up to his mouth, nibbling on the edge of it just like Marinette had done. As soon as he took his first, small bite, his eyes lit up and he instantly took an even bigger bite, almost devouring the whole cookie. He closed his eyes blissfully as he chewed, making a small noise of pleasure as he did so.

Marinette watched with wide eyes before she chuckled. "It looks like you might have finally found some mortal food that you like."

Chat Noir swallowed. "Like? I love them!" He instantly picked up another one. "They're so soft and delicious and sweet. Awww man, Tikki would love these!"

"Who's Tikki?" Marinette furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. He had never really mentioned anyone else he knew besides his parents. Tikki sure was an unusual name, so Marinette guessed that this person was another immortal creature like Chat Noir. With the way he referred to this 'Tikki', it seemed like Chat Noir was rather fond of whoever it was, speaking of them excitedly as the cookies seemed to remind him of them.

Chat Noir froze. "Oh – umm – just someone I know from back home."

"Oh," was all Marinette could respond with. He was being secretive again. But Marinette didn't feel like provoking him again by demanding who this person was. She was too exhausted after everything that had already happened. Besides, there he went with the leaks again. At this rate, Marinette could get a full story out of him by tomorrow. It just seemed like she needed to stay on his good side, act natural and make him feel comfortable and forget that he was supposed to be keeping things from her.

Chat Noir seemed more than eager to move on from the topic as he continued to scoff all of the cookies and get heavily invested into the TV show. Marinette simply sat there, staring back and forth between the addicted demon and the computer screen with bewildered eyes. He grew silent during emotional scenes and cheered characters on while growling and hissing at bad characters.

"Victor you selfish asshole!" Chat Noir threw a half-eaten cookie at the computer screen.

"Chat!" Marinette scolded.

"What?" Chat Noir shrieked innocently, "Victor is being totally horrible and selfish for not letting Louise follow her dreams! It's what she wants to do, its her passion and he needs to understand that!"

Marinette chuckled, "I just think Victor is trying to be realistic. He's worried about her and doesn't want her to get hurt."

"I still think he's an asshole," Chat Noir grumbled.

"Hey! You leave Victor alone!" Marinette defended. "He's a sweet and caring person who happens to be a very handsome and rich model, but yet he remains humble about it. Louise needs to wake up and remember how good to her he has been, and she needs to consider his feelings in this too seen as they are supposed to be a couple."

"What's a model?" Chat Noir asked.

"It's someone who wears and shows off a fashion designers clothes," Marinette explained excitedly before sighing dreamily, "hopefully famous models will be wearing my work one day."

Chat Noir looked spooked for a moment before he looked away and leaned further towards the screen as the two characters began having an intense argument, leading to harsh words being said and the two of them storming away from each other. Chat Noir gasped as he watched all of this unfold, stuffing the last cookie into his mouth without taking his eyes off the screen. Marinette rolled her eyes and rested her cheek on her hand, leaning her elbow on her leg. Her tiredness was _really_ beginning to catch up with her, but Marinette forced her eyes to stay open. There was no way in hell she was falling asleep with a demon still hanging around in her room, no matter how hypnotised he seemed to be by a TV show.

"No! You can work this out Victor and Louise! You belong together!" Chat Noir screeched loudly, helping to jolt Marinette awake slightly. "Uh! You mortals are so blind and stupid!"

Marinette cleared her throat and Chat Noir shot her a sheepish look.

" _Some._ Some mortals are stupid," he quickly corrected. It really seemed like after what had happened earlier, Chat Noir really was trying to be on his best behaviour, trying not to provoke another argument with Marinette. Marinette didn't want to rush to believe that it was true, but maybe her words had gotten through to him. Maybe he really was trying to be a good person. But still, if Chat Noir truly wanted to be good, then couldn't he just release her soul? It was for that reason that Marinette still had a great deal of hatred and mistrust bubbling inside her. He could be as cute and funny as he wanted getting invested into a TV show, but it still didn't fully distract Marinette from what he had done to her. It was enough to make her still shudder with fear slightly.

"What is he doing?" Chat Noir turning around to ask her a question and pointing at the screen brought Marinette out of her thoughts. She shook her head slightly before looking at whatever had Chat Noir confused. Victor was clearly trying to make amends with a disgruntled Louise by giving her flowers and a big box of chocolates. Though it would probably take a lot more than that to earn her forgiveness.

"He's giving her flowers and chocolates," Marinette explained, "he's trying to win Louise over again."

"Do mortals like that sort of thing?"

"Some I guess, yeah," Marinette replied, confused, "do you not give gifts in your world?"

"We do, yeah, but we never give each other food." Chat Noir turned his attention back to the show.

"What about flowers?"

Chat Noir visibly stiffened. It took him a few seconds to answer and his tone was incredibly tense with an underlying hint of pain and grief. "Flowers don't grow in our world anymore."

Marinette gasped. "That's awful. Why?"

"It's a long story," Chat Noir quickly dismissed her question, causing Marinette to sigh, but nonetheless she kept her mouth shut and stopped herself from voicing her frustrations. Instead, she simply stared at the back of his head as he kept his gaze firmly locked on her computer. He kept so many strange secrets from her. Surely that must mean that it all had to be connected. Could it all be connected to this Ladybug girl? Though Marinette didn't want to go there right now. She shuddered again at the memories and flinched away as Chat shuffled backwards to sit next to her. He gazed at her in alarm before he sighed and looked down sadly.

"You're still afraid of me," he stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

Marinette bit her lip before she replied, "can you really blame me?"

"Is it just because of what I've done, or because I'm a demon? You've been freaking out, even when I'm trying my best not to scare you."

"It's not that simple, Chat," Marinette shuffled away from him slightly again, not liking the direction the conversation was taking, terrified that Chat Noir was going to lose his temper again if he didn't like her answers to his questions.

Chat Noir sighed before smirking and shuffling closer towards her, causing Marinette to glare at him in warning. "Would you be less intimidated by me if I looked like a mortal?"

Marinette couldn't help but snort at that suggestion to which Chat Noir raised a puzzled eyebrow at her.

"You wouldn't last five minutes as a mortal," Marinette chuckled before yawning. This weird bonding session they had been having had just taken an even stranger turn. After how he had behaved, Marinette really couldn't imagine Chat Noir trying to fit in; he hadn't even known what a computer was. And if a teenager in France today didn't know what a computer was, then that would immediately arouse suspicion. It wasn't like that situation would ever happen anyway. There was no way that Chat Noir could pass as a mortal. The very idea almost had Marinette bursting out into fits of laughter.

Her heavy lidded eyes briefly looked towards Chat Noir who suddenly seemed to be lost deep in thought, a smirk tugging on the corners of his lips. However, Marinette could barely register what was going on. The whole of her body suddenly felt like it was made of lead and her eyes began to refuse to stay open. Every blink was becoming more and more dangerous, and her mind grew foggy, making using rational and terrified thoughts of Chat Noir to keep her awake even more difficult. It seemed that her body no longer cared that there was a demon in her room. All it wanted to do was shut down and sleep.

Her vision blurred as her eyes remained locked on Chat Noir, who seemed too lost in thought to notice just how much she was now struggling to fight off sleep. The noise from the TV show blared in the background, however, everything now sounded like it was underwater. The only clear noise Marinette could hear as she slumped forward and closed her eyes, was the haunting and drawn out sound of church bells.

* * *

 **Hmmm, anyone else getting the sense that Chat Noir might be getting some sort of an idea? I wonder what that could be? Hmmm. Hahaha. I've been dying to write this chapter for so long now! I get getting pushed back by other chapters that I needed to add for information sake and what not. But anyway, please feel free to let me know your thoughts in a review as it always helps me out a lot. I hope that you guys enjoy the rest of your weekend and I'll see you all again soon.**

 **NEWS: I started a blog! A blog all related to the show Miraculous Ladybug and its fanfiction. I'll be posting "behind the scenes" so to speak of my own fanfiction as well as reviewing and recommending other Miraculous Ladybug fanfiction. I'll also be discussing the show in general, talking about certain episodes, discussing fan theories and doing possible character analysis and all that jazz. Tomorrow I'll be making a post talking about the inspiration behind Immortal Bond and you should get to see my own handwritten notes and doodles. So if all that sounds like something that might be of interest to you and you want to get to know me a little bit better, please feel free to have a look. You can find it at tauruspixie . blogspot . com. Stupid fanfiction now seems to be allergic to links, so just delete the spaces.**


	12. IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE

**IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

I'm really sorry that this isn't a chapter guys, but if you're a fan of this story then it's _really_ important that you read this note.

I'm…in a bit of a predicament with this story. This is one of the main reasons I haven't updated this story in over a month. I've messed up. I've messed up this story so bad, that I'm stuck. I looked over my notes, ready to write chapter twelve, and that's when I started noticing a few errors that I had made in terms of detail that was relevant to the plot. I thought, "okay, never mind, this kind of stuff happens all the time while writing, I can easily fix this." But as soon as I fixed one error, another one would pop up, and then another, and then another. I'd fix one thing and then it would mean that something wouldn't make sense somewhere else. Soon enough, the whole story started to unravel and I got myself into such a mess over it. I don't know how I've managed to screw up this massively, but I have. I've hit a dead end and I've written myself into a corner.

To be honest, I have admittedly been unhappy with this story for a while and didn't think it was up to my usual standard. Something which some of you have actually noticed which made me realise that it wasn't just my imagination. Something was going very wrong with this story.

So what happens now?

This storyline has in no way been abandoned. I love this idea too much to just give up. However, I know this story can't continue as it is. I've got to get myself out of this corner though, and there's no way I can do that by continuing to hope for a miracle, because I've been hoping for one for a month and I haven't got one.

I'm going to start this story again from scratch. The storyline will still pretty much be the same with Marinette accidentally selling her soul to the demon Chat Noir, however, this time, I'm going to make sure I get all of my details correct first. I'm going to make sure the storyline makes sense, and that I'm not going to write myself into a corner again. I'm going to build a better world this time.

So, this version of the story has officially been discontinued. I apologise to those who were enjoying it, but this version of the story ain't going anywhere. It's hit a dead end. Sometimes it's best to tear a project down and start again, so that's what I'm doing. The next version of the story should be much better and everything I had envisioned when I first came up with the idea.

I have now started planning and working on the better version of this story. Soon, this story will be deleted and the newer, and hopefully better version will be published, likely under the same title, so keep your eyes peeled. Once again, I really am sorry about this, but I've thought long and hard about it. This is the best and only way forward. Thank you to everyone who stuck with this story. I hope that I can offer you something much better in the next coming weeks.

See you guys soon.


	13. ANNOUNCEMENT!

**ANNOUNCEMENT!**

 **THE NEW VERSION OF IMMORTAL BOND HAS NOW BEEN PUBLISHED!**

 **HEAD TO MY PROFILE TO CHECK IT OUT NOW!**


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